Buying a new home heater?

Question:I'm buying a house that was built in the 1950's, with a very old heater which I believe I will need to replace soon (It is as old as the house I think). I have a gas heater now. If I were to live in this house for about 5 years what kind of heater do you think would be the best? I'd like a very energy efficiant one as I'd rather pay for it then high heat bills. Do you think I should stick with gas or go electric? I have heard of tax deductions for energy effeciant heaters, and even your local electric company having incentives for people to check the effeciency of their units and duct work/ house sealing. Any advice would be great!

Thanks!

Answers:
Is the heater in the house you plan on buying a gas (either natural gas or LP) heater? If so - stick with gas. The distribution system for a gas heater is TOTALLY different than for an electric one. The new gas furnaces are, for the most part, very energy efficient. Get the best one that you can afford. As a part of the new heater installation, I'd suggest engaging the services of a duct-cleaning company to thoroughly clean the supply and return ducts, and then sanitize them with a chemical which kills dust mites etc. This will improve performance on your new furnace. Also, as a part of the new furnace installation, have the heating contractor do an inspection of the existing cold air return ducts - many older homes had insufficient cold air ducts and a heater will not perform at it's best if there is insufficient "make-up" air. There should be a return duct in all rooms except for the Kitchen and any Bathroom. Return lines are easily identified because they are the ones with a simple non-adjustable louver covering the opening as opposed to the heating/cooling supply lines which generally have an adjustable louvered register covering the opening. Have the heating contractor install new cold-air ducts as required so that the heater will perform at it's peak efficiency. One other thing to have done as a part of the new installation - request that the contractor install an emergency shut-off switch at the TOP of the basement stairs. Many times, the shut-off switch is located right next to the furnace, which makes no sense at all if there was a fire and you needed to shut the furnace off - who would want to attempt to reach in and flip a switch at the source of the fire??