Furnace Installation in St. George, UT
A new furnace here will run from October through May every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Washington County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heating, and winter lows near 28°F
St. George homes need a working furnace from October through May. That's eight months of the year, and winter nights averaging 28°F mean the furnace is running long after dark to keep the house warm.
58.1 percent of homes here heat with gas, so when the furnace fails, there's often no other source of heat in the house. Any furnace installed new has to reach 80 percent AFUE, the federal minimum, so at least that much of the fuel it burns goes toward heat rather than out the flue.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 28°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 58%
- 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 $70 a year to run in Washington County compared with a gas furnace.
Estimates for a typical Washington 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 HVAC contractors across the state. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. Utah does carve out an exception. Work under $7,000 does not need a licensed contractor. A furnace installation runs well past that line, so this is licensed work.
That license is what stands behind the person in your home, but it is not the only check on the job. Most cities and counties in Utah require a permit for a furnace replacement, with an inspection once the work is done. Gas is the part of this job that can go wrong in a way that matters, and the permit inspection is what catches a bad connection here. In Washington County, 58.1% of homes heat with gas.
Sources: Utah State Legislature · Utah Department of Commerce
- What size furnace does my house need?
- It depends on your home's square footage, ceiling height, insulation, and window count, so there is no single number that works for every house. A furnace sized too big will short cycle and wear out early. One sized too small will run constantly and still leave rooms cold on a 28°F night. A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not a chart based on square footage alone, and that is the only way to get the right size for your house.
- How do I know it's time to replace my furnace?
- Age is the first thing to look at. Once a furnace gets old, repairs get more frequent and parts get harder to find. Watch for uneven heat between rooms, a furnace that cycles on and off more than it used to, or a gas bill that keeps climbing without a reason. If a repair costs a large share of what a new furnace would, replacing it is usually the better move, especially with homes here needing heat from October through May.
- Is a high-efficiency furnace worth it?
- Every furnace sold new today has to hit at least 80 percent AFUE, so the question is really whether to go higher than that. Homes here need heat from October through May, with winter nights averaging 28°F, so a furnace here runs for a long stretch of the year. A higher AFUE rating means less of the gas you burn is wasted out the flue. Whether the higher upfront cost of a high-efficiency model makes sense for your house is something a contractor can walk you through when they price the job.