High efficiency boiler in a triplex?

[Ben Staples]

I have a three unit buy and hold property in Malden Massachusetts that has a separate gas fuel forced hot water boiler for each unit. The boiler in unit 2 needs to be replaced. The state of Massachusetts offers 7 year interest free financing on high efficiency boilers, however I've heard conflicting things about them. For a buy and hold I plan to keep for the long term, should I replace the boiler with a new, traditional one, or go with the high efficiency?

Pros of high efficiency that I see:

- 7 year interest free financing

- more efficient (maybe I could market this in the listing)

Cons of high efficiency that I see:

- about $2k more to install

- people seem to complain about their reliability 

- the lifespan seems to be half of traditional boilers

- repairs in general are more expensive

If I installed a traditional boiler, I wouldn't be able to get the interest free financing. Has anyone else faced this decision? Which way did you go?

[Daniel Viola]

Hi Ben, I'm a plumber and my opinion is that the high efficiency stuff isn't really worth it. They sound great but the supposed savings on energy don't come close to making up for the cost of installation and they are good for a maximum of 15 yrs whereas you can get upwards of 30 yrs with a traditional boiler. The interest-free financing is great if you need it but long term I would go with a traditional. I did in my house. I'm sure some would disagree with me but when people who understand the equipment get honest, a lot of them feel the same way. Good luck!