People search for a furnace replacement cost because a phone quote with no model number is a guess. We are not publishing one. HomeAdvisor’s central-air replacement range, cited on new AC cost, is a national figure for a central air conditioner. It is not a furnace invoice, and it is not repeated here as one.
In short
HomeAdvisor’s furnace guide, updated June 17, 2026, lists a national replacement range of $2,823–$6,896, about $4,814 for many projects, and a separate table by BTU. Those figures are not a Sabino Creek quote, and they are not an air-conditioner price reused as a furnace price. TEP’s $720 heat-pump rebate does not apply to a like-for-like gas furnace. A furnace replacement needs a permit in the City of Tucson and in unincorporated Pima County. Checked October 16, 2026.
A furnace-only job is not the same job as a furnace plus the cooling coil and condenser. If the cooling side is already failing, replacing the furnace alone can leave you with a mismatched coil. If the furnace heat exchanger is the failed part and the air conditioner is fine, the cooling equipment may stay. Say which half is actually dead. Repair versus a new furnace, when the furnace still might be repairable, starts on furnace repair and igniter and flame sensor.
Ducts, a closet or attic that is hard to reach, a permit, and whether the gas furnace stays as the backup in a dual-fuel system all change the scope. Switching the house to a heat pump is a different project, with TEP’s heat-pump rebate described on heat pump cost. Do not subtract that rebate from a gas-furnace price. TEP’s heat-pump amount is for a qualifying heat pump, not for a like-for-like gas furnace.
If you already have a written quote, a second opinion is a look at the scope, not a race to a lower total. Bring what the quote includes.
National cost by furnace size
The size table below is the one HomeAdvisor published, from HomeAdvisor’s furnace replacement guide, updated June 17, 2026. The same page gives the wider typical range as $2,823–$6,896, with many homeowners around $4,814, and lists a gas furnace at $3,800–$10,000. The BTU-per-square-foot shortcut on that page is a national rule of thumb. It is not how a Tucson house is sized. Heating load here is lighter than a cold-climate guess, and an oversized furnace short-cycles. The dollar column is still HomeAdvisor’s, not ours.
| Furnace BTU | Home size on HomeAdvisor’s chart | HomeAdvisor average cost installed |
|---|---|---|
| 30,000–60,000 | 1,000 sq ft | $1,200–$2,000 |
| 60,000–120,000 | 2,000 sq ft | $2,400–$4,000 |
| 90,000–180,000 | 3,000 sq ft | $3,600–$6,000 |
| 120,000–240,000 | 4,000 sq ft | $4,800–$8,000 |
| 150,000–300,000 | 5,000 sq ft | $6,000–$10,000 |
Read that table next to the $2,823–$6,896 project range, not instead of it. A small BTU band at the top of the chart is not a quote for a Tucson gas furnace change-out. Matched cooling equipment, a coil, ducts, access, and the permit are why two “furnace replacements” are not the same job.
| What you are replacing | Why it changes the visit | What to put on the form |
|---|---|---|
| Furnace only | The cooling coil and condenser stay. The new furnace has to match the coil that is already there. | Age of the furnace if you know it, and that the air conditioner still cools. |
| Furnace and the air conditioner | Two pieces of equipment, one coil match, and usually a longer install. | Whether both are failing, or someone proposed replacing both anyway. |
| Duct repairs with the furnace | Leaky or crushed ducts are a separate scope from the cabinet in the closet. | Rooms that never heat, and whether the ducts are in the attic. |
| A heat pump instead of another gas furnace | Different equipment, different electrical load, and a TEP rebate only if that heat-pump job qualifies. | Say you want a heat-pump option. Do not treat a gas-furnace quote as if the rebate were already in it. |
Name, mobile phone, and ZIP are required. Street address can wait. We follow up the same business day by phone or email. That is a callback, not a promise of a repair the same day.
TEP rebates, as tep.com lists them
Tucson Electric Power’s Efficient Home Program, read October 16, 2026, lists these instant rebates. They are TEP’s amounts, not a Sabino Creek discount. TEP requires a participating contractor, and the rebate comes off the project when the job qualifies. We are not stating that Sabino Creek is on TEP’s participating-contractor list. The finder is tep.com/tep-approved-contractors. A Trico Electric Cooperative account is a different utility. These rebates do not apply to it. If TEP changes the page, the page wins.
| What tep.com lists | Amount |
|---|---|
| High-efficiency heat pump, quality installation | Up to $720 |
| High-efficiency air conditioner, quality installation | Up to $600 |
| Duct sealing (varies by leakage reduced) | Up to $300 |
| Mini-split heat pump or air conditioner | Up to $100 per ton |
| AC tune-up | Up to $160 |
TEP lists the tune-up rebate as refrigerant-charge repair $80, indoor coil cleaning $40, and outdoor coil cleaning $40. That is cooling equipment. Do not assume a fall furnace check qualifies. Source: tep.com/efficient-home-program. The same figures are copied on TEP rebates.
On a like-for-like gas furnace, do not subtract the $720 heat-pump rebate or the $600 air-conditioner rebate. Those lines are for qualifying heat pumps and air conditioners. Duct sealing is the line that can apply to a furnace job when the ducts are actually sealed and the account is TEP. The tune-up rebate is an AC tune-up.
Permits
A central replacement is a permitted job in this valley. The City of Tucson Planning and Development Services Department requires a permit for a new or replacement furnace, heat pump, or air conditioner, and it requires load and sizing calculations for both new and replacement equipment. A like-for-like evaporative cooler swap generally does not, unless the house is in a historic preservation zone. In unincorporated Pima County, replacing a central air conditioner or furnace requires a permit, and so do a mini-split and duct changes. Pima County sizes that equipment to ACCA Manual J and Manual S. Towns that run their own building departments, including Oro Valley and Marana, are not the City of Tucson counter and not the Pima County counter. The address decides the office. We do not publish a permit fee.
Sources, read October 16, 2026: Tucson residential permits, Tucson permit exemptions, Pima County air-conditioning replacements, and Pima County’s permit list.