Furnace prices in Hamilton
A new high-efficiency gas furnace typically costs $4,000 to $6,500 installed in Hamilton before HST, and a two-stage model $5,500 to $8,000, in line with the Ontario range. The age of the house moves a Hamilton quote more than its address: lower-city century homes carry the most extra work.
City of Hamilton
Hamilton price snapshot
- Winter design temperature
- about -17°C, milder than Barrie or Ottawa
- Typical homes
- pre-war brick in the lower city, post-war bungalows on the Mountain, suburbs from the 1990s on
- Gas utility
- Enbridge Gas
- Electricity
- Alectra Utilities in most of the city
- Permits
- City of Hamilton building department; your installer usually arranges any permit
Typical installed prices in Hamilton, before HST
- Single-stage furnace$4,000 to $6,500
- Two-stage furnace$5,500 to $8,000
- Heating boiler$6,000 to $11,000
- Central AC$3,800 to $7,000
- Ducted heat pump$9,000 to $18,000
Hamilton quotes track the provincial range. Lower-city century homes tend to land toward the high end once chimney, access and old insulation are dealt with, and newer suburban homes toward the low end for the same equipment.
On this page
Those ranges match the Ontario Furnace Prices price index and assume a standard replacement. What raises a Hamilton quote is usually the house around the furnace, and the city has three distinct kinds.
Lower city, the Mountain and the newer suburbs
Lower city: century homes, boilers and old chimneys
Below the escarpment, in Durand, Kirkendall, Crown Point, Westdale and the older streets of Dundas, many houses predate the Second World War. Some still heat with radiators and a boiler; others were converted to forced air decades ago, with ducts squeezed into walls and bulkheads.
The chimney is the usual extra. A new 95% furnace vents out the side wall in plastic pipe, which can leave a gas water heater alone in a masonry chimney sized for two appliances. That orphaned water heater needs a liner ($300 to $1,500) or a power-vented replacement. Narrow side yards between brick houses also limit where the vent and an outdoor unit can go: the gas code sets vent clearances from windows, doors and air intakes, and an AC or heat pump needs space for airflow and service.
Old pipe and duct wrap
Wrap on old boiler pipes, ducts or the old furnace may contain asbestos. It must be tested before anyone disturbs it, and removal is priced separately, so raise it at the estimate.
Radiator houses are usually better served by a new boiler, typically $6,000 to $11,000 installed (see boiler prices), than by building a duct system from scratch.
The Mountain: post-war bungalows and splits
Much of the upper city went up from the late 1940s to the 1970s: bungalows, back-splits and side-splits on wider lots. These are often Hamilton's simplest furnace jobs, with open basements, short gas lines and room outside for an air conditioner. The catch is ductwork built for heating only. Central air or a heat pump moves more air and may need duct changes ($500 to $3,000 or more), so ask how the installer will reach ducts in a finished basement.
Stoney Creek, Waterdown, Binbrook and Ancaster: newer suburbs
Subdivisions from the 1990s on have modern ducts and side-wall venting, so installation is routine and the price follows the equipment. Builder-grade single-stage furnaces are now reaching replacement age, and two-storey homes that run warm upstairs benefit from a two-stage furnace ($5,500 to $8,000). Check for rented equipment too: Ontario furnace rentals typically run $40 to $80 a month on 10 to 15 year terms with a buyout schedule (see rent or buy a furnace).
| Area | Typical house | Common extras | Quote position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower city and Dundas | Pre-war brick, boiler or converted forced air | Chimney liner, tight vent routes, asbestos testing, older wiring | Toward the high end |
| The Mountain | Post-war bungalow or split-level | Return air for AC or a heat pump, finished-basement access | Middle of the range |
| Newer suburbs | 1990s and later, often two storeys | Upgrade to two-stage, rental buyout | Low to middle for like-for-like |
Before 13% HST. Position is relative to the typical range for the system you choose.
A worked example from the Mountain
Take a 1,100 sq ft bungalow whose older mid-efficiency furnace shares the chimney with a gas water heater. The owner wants a single-stage 96% furnace and nothing else changed.
- Single-stage 96% furnace, installed
- $4,000 to $6,500
- Chimney liner for the water heater
- $300 to $1,500
- Municipal permit, if one is required
- $75 to $300
- Total before HST
- $4,375 to $8,300
- With 13% HST
- $4,944 to $9,379
The spread comes mostly from the liner, whose price depends on the chimney. A quote that does not say what happens to the water heater's venting is incomplete. Other line items are in furnace installation cost.
Price your Hamilton house, not an average one
Tell us where the home is and a participating local heating and cooling company turns these ranges into a written quote after a free in-home visit.
Free, no obligation. About a minute to request.
Climate and sizing
Hamilton's winter design temperature, the cold a heating system is planned around, is about -17°C, several degrees milder than Barrie or Ottawa. So many older Hamilton furnaces are bigger than the house needs. Size should come from a CSA F280 heat loss calculation, not the old label; our furnace size calculator gives a first estimate.
Mild design weather also helps a heat pump, which keeps more of its output at -17°C than at -25°C. Ducted cold-climate systems typically cost $9,000 to $18,000; see heat pump prices. On older lower-city electrical service, add $500 to $2,500 for electrical work, or $2,000 to $4,500 for a new panel.
Running costs: Enbridge Gas and Alectra Utilities
Enbridge Gas delivers natural gas across Hamilton, and most of the city's electricity comes from Alectra Utilities. At about $0.50 per cubic metre and $0.15 per kWh, all-in, a 96% furnace is still the cheapest heat, and a cold-climate heat pump runs at roughly the cost of an old 80% furnace. The heating cost calculator uses your own bills.
Permits and who does the work
The City of Hamilton's building department decides whether a furnace, boiler or heat pump job needs a permit, depending on the scope. Your installer usually arranges any permit and includes it in the quote ($75 to $300 where one applies); check with the city if unsure. Grimsby has its own building department. Gas work in Ontario must be done by a TSSA-registered contractor; ask for the registration number.
Nearby price pages
For the rest of the Golden Horseshoe, see furnace prices in Toronto and furnace prices in Mississauga. Provincial figures are on furnace prices in Ontario, and every city we cover is on the city price pages.
Questions people ask
Should I replace my lower-city boiler with a furnace?
Usually not. A new high-efficiency boiler keeps your radiators and typically costs $6,000 to $11,000 installed, or $7,000 to $13,000 for a combi boiler that also heats your water. Switching to a furnace means running ducts through finished walls and floors, a much bigger job. For cooling, ductless mini-splits work alongside radiators.
Why does my Hamilton furnace quote include a chimney liner?
When a new furnace moves to plastic side-wall venting, a gas water heater can be left alone in a masonry chimney built for two appliances. It may then draft poorly and let condensation damage the masonry. A liner sized for the water heater, typically $300 to $1,500, or a power-vented water heater fixes that.
Does a house on the Mountain need a bigger furnace than one in the lower city?
Not in a way that shows up on a quote. The difference in winter weather between the two is small next to the differences between houses: insulation, windows, air leakage and floor area. A heat loss calculation for your own house sets the size.
My Binbrook or Waterdown home came with rented equipment. What does that change?
Find the contract before you replace anything. Furnace and water heater rentals are separate agreements, each with its own buyout schedule. Ask the rental company for the current buyout figure in writing, then compare it with buying outright using our rent or buy guide.
Is a heat pump realistic in Hamilton?
More so than in colder cities. At a design temperature around -17°C, a cold-climate heat pump can cover much of the season, with a furnace or electric backup for the coldest days. Dual fuel typically costs $11,000 to $20,000. Rebates need approval before installation and programs change; see our Ontario rebates guide.