said by HarryH3 :

Cool, and a bummer at the same time. When it's really broken, you don't have much of a choice. I hate to see people waste money on things that don't need fixed though. Five grand is a big chunk of change, but when you're getting something that you really need, at least the expense can be justified.

We had a HE gas boiler for heat years ago when we lived in Mass. It was about the size of a suitcase, yet kept 1500 sf toasty warm, even when it was near zero outside. I'm sure that the efficiencies have improved since then so you should see some good savings with a HE unit today.

said by dennismurphy :

Here are the guys who did the chimney inspection: Elite Chimney. I can't recommend them highly enough -- very professional, and they know their business. Definitely not a shady fly-by-night operation.