Are you using an older boiler to provide heat for a hot water baseboard system?
Most homes in New England use boilers and high-temperature baseboard heating. If your boiler is 10 years old, or more, you should look at replacement or efficiency upgrades. Improvements in boiler design allow new units to far outperform boilers that are 10+ years old. The savings in fuel can quickly add up, making it impractical to keep an older boiler running. Newer high-efficiency condensing gas designs have the ability to use all the heat the unit creates, instead of sending 500°+ air up the chimney.
Cold start and outdoor resets are two common efficiency upgrades that can be installed in many older units. In general these upgrades pay for themselves within a few years. The savings with cold start in the summer are dramatic. Your boiler only turns on when water needs to be heated, rather than keeping the water ready at 180° all the time.
With an outdoor reset, an outdoor temperature sensor tells the boiler how warm it is outside. If the air is warmer and the water temperature coming back from the heating loop is fairly high, the system knows it can provide lower temperature water into the baseboard and still meet your home heating needs. Generally for every 3° of temperature drop you save 1% on fuel. By taking the water from 180° to 120 you will save 15%.
Boiler upgrades are covered by the Efficiency Maine Home Weatherization incentive program and many are energy star listed for a federal tax credit. Visit DsireUSA.org to find out about the many incentives available for boiler upgrades.