All, if opinions on this have been posted previously, kindly advise me what search terms to use and i'll spare you the effort of a response. If not, or if you'd like to chime in anyway, have at it.

Here's the scenario: My parents will be building a +/-1500 sf house in central Maine this coming spring. their intent is to use the house 3 seasons, but have the option of living in it year round. they are trying to flesh out what they will do for domestic hot water. as of right now, they know they'll be using an oil fired boiler to supply hot water baseboard heating. the intent is that during winter months, the heat will be left on low. in addition, they know that they'll have LP for a kitchen range, grill, and possibly a dryer.

they are at a crossroads as whether to get a boiler that includes a domestic HW loop, or to get a stand alone LP fired domestic heater.

what are the pros and cons of each in this situation? how should they be assessing the life cycle costs of each? any personal experience with similar scenarios? anything else they should be considering?

many thanks