Furnace replacement is one call away from a licensed local contractor. The call routes to a licensed pro in your area for an in-home heating-load sizing and a written quote — gas, electric, or oil.
The furnace is sized to your home's heating load in BTUs — not a guess off the old unit.
A combustion and carbon-monoxide check confirms safe operation before the job closes.
You get a price before any work — decided in your home, not over the phone.
One call routes to a licensed local contractor. You describe the home and the furnace you have now.
The pro sizes the furnace to your home's heating load in BTUs — not a guess off the old unit.
You get an itemised, fixed price before any work — equipment, venting, labour, and warranty.
Removal, matched install, gas line and flue to code, a combustion and carbon-monoxide test, warranty registered.
Enter your ZIP and we'll route your call to a licensed pro in your area for an in-home sizing and a written quote. Calling is free, 24/7.
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Four signals point to replacement: the furnace is 15–20+ years old, it has a cracked heat exchanger (a safety failure, not a repair), a repair tops a third of a new unit, or you're seeing uneven heat and rising gas bills. A cracked heat exchanger means replace at any age.
Furnaces last 15–20 years, sometimes longer. Past that, efficiency falls and control boards and blowers get expensive to source.
This is a safety failure, not a repair — a cracked heat exchanger can leak carbon monoxide, and replacement is the standard fix at any age.
When one fix approaches a third of replacement cost on an older unit, a new furnace is usually the better money.
A furnace losing efficiency runs longer for less heat, and the winter gas bill climbs to show it.
If the furnace is newer, a repair is often the better call — start at furnace won't turn on, or run the numbers on repair or replace.
A proper furnace replacement is four jobs, not one: sizing to the heating load, removing the old unit, setting and reconnecting the gas line and flue to code, then running a combustion and carbon-monoxide test. Skipping the load sizing or the combustion check is where cheap installs cut corners.
| Step | What it is | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| Heating-load sizing | The contractor sizes the furnace to your home's heating load in BTUs — an oversized furnace short-cycles and wears fast | 1Before the quote |
| Remove the old furnace | Removal and responsible disposal of the old unit | 2Removal |
| Install & reconnect | The new furnace set in place, with the gas line and flue reconnected to code | 3New system |
| Combustion & safety test | A combustion analysis, a carbon-monoxide check, thermostat setup, and warranty registration | 4Commissioning |
A cracked heat exchanger is not a part you replace on an older furnace — the part cost approaches a new unit, and a crack can leak carbon monoxide into the home. Replacement is the standard, safe answer. If a contractor offers to weld or patch one on an aging furnace, get a second opinion. The warning signs are on furnace carbon monoxide.
There are four ways to heat a home a contractor will quote — a gas furnace, an electric furnace, an oil furnace, or a heat pump that replaces the furnace and the AC together. Which one fits depends on the fuel available and whether you also cool the home.
The most common choice and the middle of the cost range. The full part list — igniters, gas valves, heat exchangers — is gas-specific.
Fewer parts and a lower install cost, but the higher running cost in most regions. Common where gas isn't available.
Mostly the Northeast. Adds a fuel pump, nozzle, and delivery logistics on top of the furnace itself.
One system replaces both the furnace and the AC, runs on electricity, and may qualify for rebates — dual-fuel keeps the furnace as backup.
See heat pump installation →Get the size wrong and the efficiency rating stops mattering; get it right and AFUE decides what you pay every winter. Size is the first decision, efficiency the second.
Correct capacity comes from a heating-load calculation in BTUs, which accounts for the house — insulation, windows, air-sealing — not a match to the old unit's rating. An oversized furnace short-cycles, wears the igniter and blower early, and heats unevenly.
AFUE is the share of fuel turned into heat. An 80% furnace is standard; a 90–96% condensing furnace adds a second heat exchanger to pull more heat from the same gas — more up front, less every month. Colder climates usually justify the high-efficiency unit.
You buy efficiency once and pay for it every heating season either way.
Enter your ZIP — we'll connect you to a licensed local contractor for an in-home heating-load sizing and a written quote. The call is free, 24/7.
Licensed contractors serve . One call routes you to one for .
☏ Call (888) 810-2291Availability is subject to provider participation, location, technician availability, and demand.
A new furnace runs roughly $3,800 to $12,000 installed on Carrier's 2026 guide, averaging near $4,800 per NerdWallet. AFUE efficiency, fuel type, and size are what move the number.
An 80% AFUE gas furnace swapped like-for-like sits near the bottom of the range; a 96% AFUE modulating furnace with new venting or a fuel conversion sits near the top. Carrier's 2026 guide spans $3,800 to $12,000, and NerdWallet averages near $4,800. Fuel type, size, and venting move it within that band.
| What moves the number | Lower end | Higher end |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency (AFUE) | 80% AFUE, single-stage | 96% AFUE, modulating condensing |
| Fuel & venting | Like-for-like gas swap | Fuel conversion or new venting |
| Size | Smaller home, lower BTU | Large home, high BTU load |
| Site & access | Easy access, existing gas/flue | Tight access, new gas line |
The itemised breakdown is on new system cost, and repair pricing is on furnace repair cost — the only figure that counts is the written quote after the contractor sees the house.
A like-for-like swap is usually a one-day job, four to eight hours, and it runs in four stages: arrival and protection, removing the old furnace, setting and reconnecting the new one, then a combustion test and registration.
The crew protects floors and walls, confirms the plan, and shuts off power, gas, and the old flue.
The old unit is disconnected and pulled, and the space is prepped for the new furnace.
The new furnace is set, the gas line and flue are reconnected to code, and the thermostat is wired.
A combustion analysis and carbon-monoxide check confirm safe operation; the warranty is registered and the permit closed at inspection.
Three things decided around install day quietly determine what the system is worth to you later: the manufacturer warranty (only valid if registered), the gas permit and inspection, and any state or utility rebates tied to a high-efficiency furnace.
Manufacturers cover parts — often the heat exchanger for a lifetime and other parts for ten years — but only with registration, usually within 60–90 days. Labour is a separate warranty from the contractor. Ask what each covers.
A furnace swap needs a permit and a gas and combustion inspection in most areas. The contractor pulls it. An unpermitted gas install is both a safety and a resale problem, so a quote that skips it is a red flag.
High-efficiency furnace credit — expired Dec 31, 2025 (per ENERGY STAR / IRS). No longer applies.
State energy-office and local utility rebates still run for high-AFUE furnaces and vary by ZIP code. A local contractor knows which programs are active in your area — worth asking before you pick the efficiency tier. Financing is widely available to spread the cost.
The price gap between two quotes usually hides in this checklist. A licensed installer does all six of the following; the low bid is low because it drops one or two of them.
Weighing a heat pump instead? Compare on heat pump vs. furnace, or run the numbers on repair or replace.
Calls route to licensed local contractors across the United States. Enter a ZIP in the coverage check above and we'll confirm the nearest routed pro; if your exact area isn't matched, the call still connects nationwide.
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A new furnace runs $3,800–$12,000 installed per Carrier's 2026 guide, averaging near $4,800 per NerdWallet. The number moves with AFUE efficiency, fuel type, and size. The full breakdown is on our new-system cost page, and the exact figure is a quote from the contractor.
AFUE — Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency — is the percentage of fuel a furnace turns into heat. An 80% AFUE furnace is standard; a 90–96% condensing furnace uses a second heat exchanger to wring more heat from the same gas, costing more upfront and less to run. Colder climates usually justify the high-efficiency unit.
It's not repaired — it's replaced. A cracked heat exchanger can leak carbon monoxide into the home, and because the part cost approaches a new furnace on an older unit, replacement is the standard, safe answer. See our furnace carbon-monoxide page for the warning signs.
It's worth pricing. A heat pump replaces both the furnace and the AC and runs on electricity, and it may qualify for state or utility rebates; in deep-cold regions a dual-fuel setup keeps the gas furnace as backup. Our heat-pump-vs-furnace comparison lays out the trade-offs.
A straightforward like-for-like swap is usually a one-day job, four to eight hours. Converting fuel types, moving the unit, or adding venting can push it to two days, plus the permit inspection.