Furnace Installation in Idaho Falls, ID
A new furnace here will run from September through June every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Bonneville County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of heat, and winter nights near 15 degrees
Idaho Falls homes need heat from September through June. That is ten months of the year your furnace is the thing standing between the house and the cold, with winter nights averaging 15°F. A furnace sized and installed for this has to hold up to a long, hard season, not just a few cold snaps.
Most homes here heat with gas, and any new non-weatherized gas furnace has to reach at least 80.0 percent AFUE under federal rules. That is the floor, not a feature. With winter storms a regular part of the ten-year record here, and power outages hitting over a tenth of Idaho households last year, a new furnace is worth installing right, since it will be doing most of the year's work.
- 10 months
- September through June, your furnace is on duty
- 15°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 56%
- 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 Bonneville County compared with a gas furnace.
Estimates for a typical Bonneville County home, from EIA household energy data, Idaho fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Idaho requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state license is issued to the contractor, not to this particular installation. It means the person or business doing the work was tested and is on record with the HVAC Board before they ever step into your house.
Most cities and counties also require a permit for a furnace installation, with an inspection once the work is finished. That inspection is what catches a bad gas connection, which is the part of a furnace install that can actually hurt someone. In Bonneville County, 56% of homes heat with gas, so that check matters to a lot of houses here.
Sources: Idaho Legislature · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
- What size furnace does my house need?
- A contractor works this out with a load calculation, not by matching the size of your old furnace or going off square footage alone. That calculation looks at your home's insulation, window area, ceiling height, and layout, because two houses the same size can need different furnaces. A furnace that's too big will short cycle and wear out faster. One that's too small will run constantly and still struggle to keep up on a 15°F night. This is worth getting right rather than guessing, so have a contractor size it for your specific house.
- How do I know it's time to replace my furnace?
- Age is the first thing to check. Most furnaces last 15 years, and if yours is at or past that, breakdowns tend to come more often from here on. Watch for rooms that won't heat evenly, a furnace that cycles on and off more than it used to, or a rise in your gas bill without a reason for it. With heat needed here from September through June, a furnace on its way out doesn't leave much of a season to put off the decision. If yours is old and starting to act up, get a contractor to look at it before it fails on a cold night.
- Is a high-efficiency furnace worth it?
- It depends on what your furnace is doing now and how long you plan to stay in the house. Furnaces made since November 2015 are already required to hit at least 80 percent AFUE, so the real choice is between that standard efficiency and a higher-rated model. A furnace that burns less gas for the same heat matters more here since homes need heat 10 months out of the year and most homes in this area heat with gas. A contractor can walk through the difference in equipment and venting for your house and price both options.