Furnace Installation in Cedar City, UT
A new furnace here will run from October through May every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Iron County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Cedar City asks a lot of a furnace
Your furnace has work to do here from October through May. That's eight months of the year, with winter nights averaging 20°F from December through February. A furnace sized and installed right has to carry that load every one of those months, not just the coldest week.
Most homes in the area heat with gas, and any new gas furnace built after November 2015 has to hit at least 80 percent AFUE by federal rule. The area has also logged 36 winter storms and 32 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 7 percent of households went at least 24 hours without power in 2024. A standing pilot furnace will still light without power. One that relies on an electronic igniter won't.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 20°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 66%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 80% AFUE
- the federal minimum any new unit must meet
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A high-efficiency gas furnace would save about $100 a year to run in Iron County compared with a gas furnace.
Estimates for a typical Iron County home, from EIA household energy data, Utah fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Utah requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Division of Professional Licensing issues the license to the contractor. It covers that contractor, not the specific job. Utah does carve out an exception for small jobs. Work under $7,000 does not need a licensed contractor. A furnace installation runs well past that amount, so this is a licensed job.
A furnace installation in most cities and counties also needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is done. That is separate from the state license and comes from the local building office instead of the state. In Iron County, most homes heat with gas, so this installation is likely a gas furnace going in.
Sources: Utah State Legislature · Utah Department of Commerce
- What size furnace does my house need?
- A contractor sizes it with a load calculation, not a chart based on square footage alone. That calculation weighs your insulation, your windows, your ceiling height, and how much air leaks in and out. Too big and the furnace short cycles, heating the air fast but never running long enough to feel even. Too small and it runs constantly through the cold months and still can't keep up. With winter nights here averaging 20°F, getting this number right matters more than in a milder climate.
- How do I know it's time to replace my furnace?
- Age is one thing to check, along with how the furnace has been running. A repair on an older unit might only buy you a season before something else fails. Rising gas bills without a change in how you use heat, a burner that won't stay lit, or a cracked heat exchanger are all signs the unit is done. Since homes here need heat from October through May, a furnace that's struggling early in the season usually won't hold up through the coldest months ahead.
- Is a high-efficiency furnace worth it?
- It depends on how many months a year you're running it. Homes here need heat for 8 months, so a furnace spends most of the year working, not sitting idle. Every non-weatherized gas furnace made since November 2015 has to hit at least 80 percent AFUE, and high-efficiency models go well past that, wasting less gas for every hour they run. With most of Iron County heating with gas, that difference shows up over a long season. A contractor can walk you through which efficiency level makes sense for your house and your furnace's current condition.