Published furnace replacement costs with scope labels
This Old House publishes a broad furnace range that includes installation across fuel types, sizes, efficiencies, and labor conditions. Angi's narrower subject is gas-furnace replacement. Similar endpoints do not make the datasets interchangeable.
The reported figures below remain publisher statistics. Ramefor does not average them, select a midpoint, or add equipment and labor rows to an installed range.
| Published reference | Value | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Furnace installation rangeThis Old House · Article introduction | $1,600–$10,000 | Broad installed range across electric, gas, and oil furnace contexts. |
| Reported furnace averageThis Old House · What Is the Average Cost of a Furnace? | $4,799 | This Old House's reported average, not a Ramefor calculation. |
| Gas furnace replacementAngi · Cost Insights | $3,800–$10,000 | Angi's gas-furnace replacement range; not an electric or oil reference. |
| Reported average for a 1,600–2,000 sq ft homeAngi · Article introduction | $7,000 | Angi's stated home-size scenario, not a universal average or sizing rule. |
Gas, electric, and oil furnace scope
Fuel type changes the appliance and the supporting work. A gas quote may depend on gas piping, combustion air, venting, and safety checks; an electric furnace may depend more heavily on circuit and service capacity; an oil furnace can involve burner, venting, and fuel-system scope. A conversion between fuels is a different project from like-for-like furnace replacement.
This Old House labels the following as unit-cost rows. They should not be read as guaranteed installed totals or added to its installation-inclusive headline range.
| Published reference | Value | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Electric furnace unitThis Old House · What Is the Average Cost of a Furnace? | $2,000–$7,000 | Electric furnace unit row; installation and electrical scope still need definition. |
| Gas furnace unitThis Old House · What Is the Average Cost of a Furnace? | $3,800–$10,000 | Gas furnace unit row; not combined with Angi's replacement range. |
| Oil furnace unitThis Old House · What Is the Average Cost of a Furnace? | $6,750–$10,000 | Oil furnace unit row; supporting fuel and vent scope are not implied. |
Equipment cost, installed cost, and BTU capacity are different
An equipment price is not an installed project total. Angi separately publishes an equipment average, high-efficiency equipment context, labor, removal, ducts, gas-line work, and permits. Those rows can overlap a contractor's installed price, so they are comparison prompts rather than add-ons.
Furnace capacity is expressed in BTU per hour. The capacity rows below are publisher examples, not a heating-load calculation. Climate, insulation, air leakage, windows, building geometry, ducts, and design conditions can affect the required output; ask each bidder for the sizing method and selected input and output capacity.
| Published reference | Value | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Reported new-furnace equipment averageAngi · Gas Furnace Replacement Cost Breakdown | $2,250 | Equipment-only average, separate from labor and installed replacement. |
| High-efficiency gas furnace equipmentAngi · Gas Furnace Replacement Cost Breakdown | $3,500–$5,500 | High-efficiency equipment context, not a complete installed total. |
| 40,000 BTU gas furnaceAngi · Gas Furnace Cost by Size (BTUs) | $2,000–$3,500 | 40,000 BTU capacity row; not a recommendation for a particular home. |
| 60,000 BTU gas furnaceAngi · Gas Furnace Cost by Size (BTUs) | $2,500–$4,200 | 60,000 BTU capacity row; not a recommendation for a particular home. |
| 80,000 BTU gas furnaceAngi · Gas Furnace Cost by Size (BTUs) | $3,000–$4,900 | 80,000 BTU capacity row; not a recommendation for a particular home. |
AFUE explains fuel conversion—not the whole installed system
ENERGY STAR describes AFUE as the percentage of heat in the incoming fuel that becomes space heat rather than being lost. AFUE is useful for comparing fuel-fired furnace efficiency, but it does not by itself establish correct capacity, duct performance, comfort, operating cost, or installation quality.
Current ENERGY STAR residential product criteria list at least 95% AFUE for gas furnaces in the U.S. South, 97% in the U.S. North, and 87% for oil furnaces. These are certification criteria—not general legal minimums, savings guarantees, or proof that a purchase qualifies for a tax credit.
Compare the exact model, input and output capacity, AFUE where applicable, blower and staging, controls, and the conditions required for the quoted performance.
Venting, condensate, gas, and electrical work
A furnace-only proposal should say whether the existing vent or flue remains, needs a liner or resizing, changes material or termination, or requires abandonment of old venting. Where the proposed equipment produces condensate, define the drain, pump if needed, neutralizer if specified, freeze protection, termination, and finish work rather than assuming those items are included.
Gas scope should identify existing pipe reuse, shutoff and connector work, pressure or leak testing, combustion setup, and responsibility for corrections. Electrical scope should identify circuit, breaker, disconnect or service switch, wiring, thermostat or controls, and any panel or service upgrade. Electric-furnace replacements need an explicit capacity check rather than an assumption that the old circuit is adequate.
Ductwork, removal, permits, and access
Retaining existing ducts is different from modifying plenums and transitions, adding returns, sealing leakage, changing filters, balancing airflow, or installing new ducts. Ask what testing and commissioning will demonstrate that airflow and temperature rise meet the equipment requirements.
Removal should identify haul-away, disposal, fuel or gas disconnection, cleanup, and abandoned materials. Permit and inspection requirements are local, and access can change labor for attics, crawlspaces, closets, stairs, tight mechanical rooms, or projects requiring finish removal and restoration.
| Published reference | Value | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Gas furnace installation laborAngi · Labor Costs for Gas Furnace Installation | $500–$2,000 | Labor reference that may overlap the installed replacement range. |
| Professional old-furnace removalAngi · Removing an Old Furnace | $60–$500 | Separate professional removal; confirm whether the contractor already includes it. |
| New ductworkAngi · Installing New Ductwork | $1,500–$7,000 | New-ductwork context, not an automatic replacement allowance. |
| New gas lineAngi · Gas Line | $250–$800 | Relevant when a new gas line is actually required, not every like-for-like job. |
| Gas-furnace permit and inspectionAngi · Permits and Inspections | $400–$1,500 | National planning context; verify the actual local rule and fee. |
Furnace-only versus furnace plus AC replacement
This page covers heating-equipment replacement while the cooling system remains. A proposal that also replaces the condenser, evaporator coil, air handler, heat pump, or other cooling equipment is broader than furnace-only work.
When heating and cooling are being replaced together, compare complete HVAC scope: indoor/outdoor equipment matching, shared blower and controls, cooling efficiency, refrigerant and line set, ducts, gas and electrical work, venting, drains, permits, removal, and commissioning.
Signals that two furnace quotes are not comparable
- Fuel type, exact model, input/output BTU capacity, AFUE, stages, blower, or controls differ or are missing.
- One price is equipment-only while another includes labor, startup, testing, and commissioning.
- Venting or flue, combustion air, condensate, gas piping, electrical, thermostat, or panel scope differs.
- Duct transitions, return-air changes, filters, sealing, balancing, or finish restoration appear in only one bid.
- Removal, disposal, permits, inspections, access equipment, cleanup, and concealed-condition allowances differ.
- One proposal is furnace-only while another includes the AC coil, condenser, heat pump, or a complete HVAC package.
No federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit for new 2026 installations
Current IRS Form 5695 instructions say the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit cannot be claimed for expenditures or property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Ramefor therefore does not advertise or subtract a federal furnace credit for equipment placed in service in 2026.
Angi's page still mentions a furnace credit as available “as of this writing.” For a 2026 project, the current official IRS instruction controls this guide. State, local, utility, and manufacturer programs are separate and should be checked under their own current terms; this is not tax advice.
Methodology and limitations
Ramefor keeps This Old House and Angi values separate, preserves installed versus unit and equipment scope, and does not add overlapping labor or component rows, infer capacity, apply regional multipliers, or turn a national reference into a local quote.
ENERGY STAR supplies product-criteria context and the IRS supplies current federal-credit timing. Neither source supplies a project price, local permit decision, load calculation, fuel recommendation, or substitute for an on-site safety and installation assessment.
Sources, review dates, and limitations
Each source supporting the figures, definitions, or freshness rules on this page is registered below. Published values remain separate when their definitions or research methods differ.
This Old House
How Much Does a Furnace Cost? (2026 Pricing)
- Source published/updated
- Ramefor verified
How we use it: Ramefor uses the installed headline and fuel-type unit rows exactly as labeled and keeps them separate from Angi's gas-furnace references.
Scope and limitations
- The headline range includes installation, while the fuel-type table is explicitly labeled unit cost; those rows are not additive or directly interchangeable.
- This Old House identifies fuel type, size, efficiency, installation complexity, ductwork, venting, electrical upgrades, location, and contractor as cost factors.
- The source says its cost data is based on HomeAdvisor estimates unless otherwise noted.
Angi
How Much Does a Gas Furnace Cost? [2026 Data]
- Source published/updated
- Ramefor verified
How we use it: Ramefor uses Angi for gas-furnace replacement, equipment, BTU, and scope references, while using current IRS instructions—not the article's tax copy—for 2026 federal-credit status.
Scope and limitations
- Angi's installed replacement range, capacity rows, equipment rows, labor, removal, ductwork, gas-line, and permit values can overlap and are never added by Ramefor.
- The page's capacity examples are not a substitute for a heating-load calculation based on climate and actual building conditions.
- Angi's page still mentions a federal furnace tax credit as available 'as of this writing'; current IRS instructions supersede that statement for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
ENERGY STAR
Furnaces Key Product Criteria
- Source published/updated
- No editorial date displayed
- Ramefor verified
How we use it: Ramefor uses ENERGY STAR to explain AFUE and current certification thresholds only; it does not infer savings or tax eligibility from an AFUE rating.
Scope and limitations
- ENERGY STAR defines AFUE generally as the percentage of incoming fuel heat converted to space heat rather than lost.
- Its current residential criteria list at least 95% AFUE for U.S. South gas furnaces, 97% for U.S. North gas furnaces, and 87% for oil furnaces.
- These are product-certification criteria by region and fuel, not minimum legal efficiency requirements, project prices, or proof of eligibility for a federal tax credit.
Internal Revenue Service
Instructions for Form 5695 (2025)
- Source published/updated
- No editorial date displayed
- Ramefor verified
How we use it: Ramefor uses the current official Form 5695 instructions only to state the post-2025 federal-credit limitation and provides no individualized tax advice.
Scope and limitations
- The instructions say the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit cannot be claimed for expenditures or property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
- Ramefor therefore does not advertise a federal furnace credit for equipment placed in service in 2026.
- State, local, utility, and manufacturer programs are separate and must be checked under their current rules.
Related hvac resources
An orientation, not an estimate
These national references do not account for your location, taxes, existing conditions, product selections, contractor availability, or final scope. Get itemized local quotes before making a financial decision.