Furnace replacement cost in Seattle, WA

How much does a furnace replacement cost in Seattle?

A furnace replacement in Seattle typically costs $5,160 for an 80,000 Btu gas furnace, installed on the ducts that are already there. The range for that same straightforward swap is $4,030 to $6,920. A 100,000 Btu gas furnace is typically $6,060. A ducted air-source heat pump, replacing the furnace and using those same ducts, is typically $10,270, from $8,010 to $13,760. None of those prices includes new ducts, a chimney liner, or a panel upgrade.

What the Seattle labor rate changes

The national starting point for the 80,000 Btu furnace is $4,600 before local labor. Seattle labor is 1.24 times a national crew. About 48 percent of that furnace price is the crew, so the city moves the hours more than the cabinet. Versus a crew priced at 1.00, that adds about $560. The heat pump uses a 45 percent labor share because more of its price is the machine. Do not compare a heat-pump quote with the furnace row and call the difference a rip-off. They are different machines.

Which size the example home is even asking about

The example house was built around 1968 and is about 1,600 square feet. craftsman houses and newer townhouses, mild wet winters, cheap power by big-city standards Seattle has about 4,420 heating degree days, against 4,000 in the national reference. A colder city is the usual reason a quote jumps from 80,000 to 100,000 Btu. That jump is not proof you need it. An oversized furnace short-cycles: the air gets hot, the blower stops, and the house never feels even. This page will not run a Manual J. It will tell you to ask why the quote left the smaller furnace.

What pushes a Seattle quote into the high column

Same cabinet location, existing flue or vent that passes, existing gas line, filter door you can reach: that is the typical price of $5,160. The low price is that job with a clear basement or a garage and no code surprise. The high price, $6,920 for the smaller furnace, is a drain on the coil, a condensate pump, a flue that fails inspection, or a second trip. A liner for an old chimney, a move of the furnace to another room, or a duct replacement can honestly sit above the high number. Ask the quote to name those lines. Seattle labor is expensive and the electricity is not. That split matters: a heat-pump water heater may not win on operating cost the way it does in San Jose, while the installed price still hurts. Cooling degree days are small. Anyone selling a large air conditioner on a Seattle ZIP alone is selling weather the model does not have. Moisture, crawlspaces, and rockeries that complicate a condenser pad are the real local risks.

The bill after the Seattle install

Install price and the yearly bill are different sentences. At $1.50 a therm — the price you typed in the bar, not a Seattle gas tariff — a year of gas heat for the example home is about $1,270, roughly 849 therms. The same heat from a heat pump at 12.4¢ per kilowatt-hour is about $1,190 a year, about 9,564 kilowatt-hours. Seattle City Light and nearby Puget Sound Energy territories differ. The planning rate is low for a coastal city, which changes the heat-pump story. A heat pump that costs $5,100 more to install does not pay for itself just because the brochure says so. Divide that gap by the yearly difference only if both numbers are for your house. This page will not invent a rebate.

If you rent in Seattle

A furnace and a ducted heat pump belong to the owner. The price does not change with the lease. Permission does. Use the range to read a landlord’s number. An “emergency” furnace that is several times $6,920 for a standard swap is a question about scope, not a reason to sign a contract on a building you do not own. Reviewed 2026-09-01. Planning model: IECC climate zone, degree-day normals, a metro labor factor, and a residential rate used only for operating-cost context. Installed costs start from published national ranges and scale the labor share. Rents are planning medians, not listings. Reviewed 2026-09-01.

Before you accept a furnace quote in Seattle, match it to one row. The 80,000 Btu gas furnace is typically $5,160 at labor 1.24. The heat pump is typically $10,270. If the quote is new ducts, say so out loud and stop using this table. The example home is about 1,600 square feet, built around 1968, in a 4,420 heating-degree-day climate.