Furnace Installation in Moab, UT
A new furnace here will run from October through May every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Grand County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heat a year in Grand County
Furnaces in Moab run from October through May. Winter nights average 20°F, and that low sits there for months at a time, not just a cold snap here and there.
Most homes here heat with gas, so the furnace carries the load for two thirds of the year. Any new furnace installed today has to reach at least 80 percent AFUE, the federal minimum for a non-weatherized gas furnace. Power interruptions do happen here too, so it's worth knowing how your new furnace starts back up once power returns.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 20°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 75%
- 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 $90 a year to run in Grand County compared with a gas furnace.
Estimates for a typical Grand 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 tests and records the contractor, not the job. That license follows the company, so it applies whether the work is a repair or a full install.
A furnace install is exactly the kind of job where that license matters, since it's well above the $7,000 threshold Utah sets for work that doesn't need a licensed contractor. Beyond the license, Grand County's building office still requires a permit for a furnace replacement, and an inspector checks the completed work, including the gas connection, which is where a bad install turns dangerous. Most homes in Grand County heat with gas, so that inspection is not a formality here.
Sources: Utah State Legislature · Utah Department of Commerce
- What size furnace does my house need?
- The right size comes from a load calculation, not a guess based on square footage. A contractor measures your walls, windows, insulation and layout and runs the numbers from there. Too big and the furnace short cycles, wearing out parts faster. Too small and it runs constantly through those December and February nights when it's 20°F outside and still can't keep up. With 8 months of heating season here, getting this number right matters more than it would somewhere milder.
- How do I know it's time to replace my furnace?
- Watch for uneven heat, a furnace that runs longer than it used to, or repairs that keep coming back. Rising gas bills with no other explanation are another sign the unit is losing efficiency. If your furnace was installed before November 2015, it may fall below the 80 percent AFUE standard required now, which means more of the gas you're paying for is going up the flue instead of into your house. A contractor can check the age, the heat exchanger and the overall condition and tell you honestly whether repair still makes sense or replacement is the better move.
- Is a high-efficiency furnace worth it?
- It depends on how long you plan to stay in the house and what your current furnace is costing you to run. A high-efficiency furnace burns less gas to produce the same heat, and with 74.7 percent of homes here heating with gas and 8 months of the year needing it, that difference shows up on more bills than in most places. The tradeoff is a higher upfront cost and, in some homes, changes to venting since these units exhaust at a lower temperature. A contractor can look at your current setup and give you a straight answer on whether the upgrade fits your house.