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The cost to replace a furnace is usually between $3,800 and $10,000 for a gas unit, with published national averages landing near $4,800. The spread is wide because the furnace itself is often less than half the bill. Before comparing quotes, it helps to know what sits inside a gas furnace replacement price.
Key Takeaways
- The equipment is not the whole cost. Labor, permits, venting and ductwork routinely add thousands.
- Efficiency drives price more than brand. An 80 percent AFUE unit and a 96 percent unit are different installations, not just different boxes.
- Washington does not force you onto a heat pump when you are replacing an existing furnace like for like.
- Permit costs vary by city across King and Pierce County, so two identical homes can get different quotes.
- Get three quotes and compare scope, not headline price. The cheapest quote is usually the one leaving something out.
What the Cost to Replace a Furnace Looks Like in 2026
Published national furnace replacement costs put the average around $4,800, with most homeowners landing between $2,823 and $6,888. Broken out by fuel type, the ranges look like this.
| Furnace type | Typical installed cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | $3,800 to $10,000 | The most common replacement in this area |
| Electric | $2,000 to $7,000 | Cheaper to install, usually more expensive to run here |
| Propane | $3,700 to $14,200 | More common in rural properties off the gas main |
| Oil | $6,750 to $10,000 | Increasingly rare in new installs |
Cost by Efficiency Level
AFUE stands for Annual Fuel Utilisation Efficiency. A 96 percent AFUE furnace turns 96 percent of the fuel into usable heat. Higher efficiency units cost more up front and often cost more to install, because a condensing furnace needs different venting and a condensate drain.
| Efficiency | Installed cost range | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 80 percent AFUE | $3,000 to $5,000 | Entry level. Vents through an existing flue. |
| 90 to 95 percent AFUE | $4,000 to $8,000 | Condensing. Needs PVC venting and a drain. |
| 96 percent AFUE and above | $6,000 to $12,000 | Highest efficiency, often with variable speed operation. |
Those tiers come from published cost guides using 2025 and 2026 contractor data. If you want to check efficiency claims on a specific model, ENERGY STAR certified furnaces are listed with their verified ratings.
What Is Not in the Sticker Price
This is where the cost to replace a furnace diverges between quotes. Ask every contractor which of these are included.
- Labor: commonly $75 to $100 per hour, with a straightforward swap taking four to eight hours
- Permits and inspection: published ranges run from around $400 to $1,500 depending on jurisdiction
- Removal and disposal of the old unit, roughly $60 to $330
- Ductwork repair or replacement, which can run $2,000 to $5,000 if the existing system is undersized or leaking
- Venting changes, required when moving from an 80 percent to a condensing furnace
- Gas line or electrical modifications if the new unit’s requirements differ
- Thermostat, if you are upgrading at the same time
What Changes the Price Around Puget Sound
Two things drive the cost to replace a furnace locally more than anything else.
The first is access. A furnace in an open garage is a different day’s work from one in a low crawlspace or a tight closet with the water heater beside it. Removal alone can take hours when the unit has to come out in pieces.
The second is what the installer finds attached to it. A lot of homes around Auburn, Kent and Federal Way have ductwork that was marginal when it was installed and has since come apart in the crawlspace. Fitting a new furnace to bad ducts gives you an efficient machine pushing air into the ground. An honest quote inspects the duct system before pricing the furnace, and separates the two lines so you can decide.
Do You Have to Switch to a Heat Pump in Washington?
This causes more confusion than any other question we get, and most national cost guides never mention it.
As the state energy code is currently written, the heat pump requirement applies to new construction and to additions. Replacing an existing gas furnace with another gas furnace of comparable capacity is treated as an alteration and is not held to that requirement. In plain terms, if your furnace dies you are not legally forced to convert.
That said, it is still worth pricing both. Heat pumps run on electricity, heat and cool from one system, and suit this mild climate well. Many homeowners here end up choosing one on the numbers rather than because a rule told them to. If you want both options quoted side by side, we price heat pump installation options against a like for like furnace so you can compare properly.
Codes are updated periodically and local jurisdictions adopt them on their own timeline. Confirm the current position with your city’s permitting office, or check with the Washington State Building Code Council before you commit.
When Replacing Beats Repairing
A useful starting filter is the 50 percent rule. If the repair costs more than half the price of a new system, replacement usually wins. Beyond that, these are the signals that tip the decision:
- The furnace is 15 years or older and out of warranty
- You have paid for two or more repairs in the past two years
- The heat exchanger is cracked, which is a safety issue, not a repair decision
- Heating bills are climbing with no change in habits
- Some rooms never get warm while others overheat
- The unit is getting noisy or cycling on and off more than it used to
If none of those apply, it is usually cheaper to repair your existing furnace and plan the replacement for a year when you are not deciding in a cold snap.
How to Compare Three Furnace Quotes
- Check the size on each quote. If three contractors propose three different capacities, at least two of them did not do a load calculation.
- Compare AFUE, not brand. Two quotes at very different prices are often two different efficiency tiers.
- Confirm the permit is included and who pulls it. A furnace installed without a permit can cause trouble at resale.
- Ask what happens to the ductwork. Included, excluded, or inspected and reported on.
- Ask about the warranty on labor, separately from the manufacturer’s parts warranty. They are rarely the same length.
Want a quote that itemises all of that? Call Air Pro Solutions at (253) 397-7220 and we will break the price into equipment, labor, permit and ductwork so you can compare it line by line against anyone else’s.
Furnace Replacement Questions We Get Asked
How much does a new furnace cost for a 2000 square-foot house?
A 2,000 square foot home typically needs a 60,000 to 80,000 BTU furnace, which usually lands between $5,000 and $7,500 installed for a mid efficiency gas unit. High efficiency models and any ductwork or venting work push it higher. Size should come from a load calculation, not square footage alone.
Is it worth replacing a 30 year old furnace?
Almost always yes. A 30 year old furnace is well past its expected life, is likely running at 60 to 70 percent efficiency, and any significant repair is money spent on a unit that could fail next winter. Replacement also removes the heat exchanger risk that comes with age.
What is the life expectancy of a furnace?
Fifteen to twenty years for a well maintained gas furnace. Annual servicing, clean filters and correct sizing push it toward the top of that range. Skipped maintenance, oversizing and poor ductwork pull it down. Past fifteen years, budget for replacement even if it is still running.
How much does it cost to remove and replace a furnace?
Removal and disposal of the old unit typically adds $60 to $330 to the job and is usually bundled into the installed price. If the old furnace is in a tight crawlspace or has to be cut apart to get it out, expect that to be priced separately as extra labor.
How old should a furnace be before it is replaced?
Start planning at fifteen years and act on the first significant repair after that. Replacing on your own timeline in spring or early autumn is cheaper and less stressful than replacing in January when the house is cold and scheduling is tight.
Pricing Your Replacement Without the Guesswork
The cost to replace a furnace is hard to compare because contractors rarely price the same scope. The fix is simple. Ask every company to itemise equipment, labor, permit, venting and ductwork, and to state the capacity they calculated and how.
Call Air Pro Solutions Heating, Cooling & Electrical at (253) 397-7220 for a written, itemised quote with both a furnace and a heat pump option priced out. You can also get a replacement quote online, or read more about furnace installation in Auburn.
