Furnace Pricing
Factors That Impact Price
Brand
Size
Warranty
Options
Installation
Buying A New Furnace
Buying a new Furnace can sometimes feel intimidating. The average person only buys new HVAC equipment once or twice in their lifetime. If you compare that to how often people replace their cars, it’s easy to understand why there can be so much anxiety around buying new HVAC equipment.
One of the first questions that pops into a person’s head is “How much will this cost me?”. While there is no straightforward answer, we can talk about price ranges that will allow you to be better prepared for the decision ahead of you.
How Much Does A New Furnace Cost?
This question gets asked all the time, and the most common answer is: it depends. While true, this answer isn’t overly helpful. A new Furnace will generally be between $4000-$8000 installed, and this is where the “it depends” part comes in.
What determines where in that price range your new Furnace may fall is a combination of several variables. The most important variables include Brand, Size, Efficiency rating, Options, Warranty, and Installation requirements.
Cost Factors
Brand
Let’s take a moment to discuss some of these variables, starting with Brand. Just like the auto industry, there are many Furnace manufacturers, and just like with cars, some are more expensive than others. This is one of the reasons we carry several different Brands. It’s so that we can offer a wider range of options to better match your personal needs.
Size
Size, or input (we call it BTU’s), refers to how much gas a particular Furnace uses. This can have a big impact on price because a furnace required to heat a 1000 sqft home will be much smaller than one needed at 2800 sqft. The larger furnace requires a bigger cabinet, more burners, a larger blower housing and motor, etc and will cost more. Additionally, a larger furnace will need bigger diameter venting and ductwork, further increasing the price.
Options
Next, let’s talk about options, and no, we don’t mean leather seats. When we say options, we are referring to how the furnace operates. New furnaces generally fall into 3 categories: Single-stage, two-stage, and modulating.
Single stage means that, when the thermostat wants the Furnace to come on, the Furnace will come on at full force until the thermostat tells it to stop. This is a very straightforward system that may result in larger temperature swings in your home. A two-stage Furnace will initially come on at a reduced input and then later in the cycle jump up to full capacity if required, only giving you high heat when necessary. This helps reduce the temperature swings in your home compared to a single-stage unit, providing more comfort.
Lastly is the modulating Furnace. The best way to describe a modulating furnace is to compare it with cruise control. When you set your desired temperature at your thermostat, your furnace will increase and decrease its capacity during its cycle in order to maintain a very constant temperature in your home, much like using cruise control on the highway. This can effectively eliminate or minimize temperature swings and provide a more even temperature throughout your home.
Warranty
Warranty is very important due to the peace of mind it gives you, knowing that your investment is covered against breakdowns and repairs. The manufacturer’s warranty on parts for almost all furnaces is technically 5 years. However, upon registration, it is extended to 10 years (and in some cases, 12 years) at no additional charge. We handle the registration for our customers to make things easier.
Our labour warranties vary from 1 -12 years, depending on the brand and model. When looking at the different warranties, it’s easier to see why a unit that comes with a 12-year part and labour warranty will be more expensive than one with a more basic warranty. However, longer warranties offer more assurance and a greater sense of relief with regards to your HVAC investment.
Installation
Finally, the last major thing that can impact the cost of your new furnace is the installation requirements that may be unique to your home. Generally, most Furnace replacements are straightforward – the unit goes in the same location, the ductwork doesn’t require major revisions, the existing unit is a similar style etc. These factors really won’t have an impact on increasing the cost.
On the other hand, there are some situations that require a great deal of time and materials to complete, such as relocating the unit or removal of an older or much larger style furnace, which results in significant ductwork modifications. It should also be noted that if your current Furnace is older than 15 years, there is a very good chance that the venting will need to be changed or upgraded, possibly increasing the overall cost. When you consider that most homes had unfinished basements when the original equipment was installed, replacing that system can present certain challenges.
In Conclusion
All these factors can play a part in determining what you can expect to pay for a new Furnace, and by discussing them we have hopefully removed or lowered some of your anxiety about such a major investment. While we still can’t tell you exactly how much a new Furnace will cost without discussing and considering all these variables, these factors should help with setting clearer expectations, while providing a better understanding of why the answer to “How much will my new furnace cost?” is…it depends!