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Furnace Installation & Replacement · Hamilton, OntarioFurnace Installation & Replacement in Hamilton
Furnace installation and replacement in Hamilton costs $4,500–$7,500 for a high-efficiency unit installed, and the price depends less on the brand than on what the house asks of us — a chimney liner in a Kirkendall century home, a downsizing in a Mountain bungalow, or a straightforward swap in a Stoney Creek subdivision. ZK Mechanical quotes it in writing with any permit the job needs included, makes the Enbridge Gas connection with a TSSA-licensed technician and finishes most jobs in a day.
Furnace Installation & Replacement in Hamilton
Below the escarpment, furnace replacement is as much about the chimney as the furnace. The pre-war brick homes of Westdale, Kirkendall, Strathcona and Durand mostly vent a mid-efficiency furnace and a gas water heater up one masonry chimney. Put in a condensing furnace, which vents in PVC out the side wall, and the water heater is left alone in a chimney sized for both — it will not draft properly, and combustion products that should be leaving the roof end up in the basement instead. CSA B149.1, the gas code, requires the venting to be sized for what is actually left on it, so that orphaned chimney gets a correctly sized liner or the water heater moves to a power-vented or tankless unit — and our quotes for lower-city homes carry that line up front rather than as a surprise. Low headroom, stone foundations and the odd converted gravity 'octopus' furnace add labour, which is why we walk the basement before we price it.
Up on the Mountain, the 1950s and 1960s bungalows and split-levels of the East and West Mountain usually got a furnace that was oversized for the house even before attic insulation and new windows went in. A heat-loss calculation on these homes often lands a size or two smaller than what is coming out, which means longer, quieter cycles and less temperature swing rather than a colder house. Stoney Creek Mountain, Ancaster and Binbrook are the other big group: 1990s and 2000s subdivision homes still on their original condensing furnace, now 20 to 30 years old, where a failed secondary heat exchanger is a $1,500–$3,000 repair better put toward a new unit.
The City of Hamilton lists replacing a furnace among the projects that don't require a building permit, while new or replacement ductwork in an HVAC system does need one, so a job that reworks the ducts goes through the building division with the permit in our price. The gas connection is made by a TSSA-licensed technician on your existing Enbridge Gas line — we check the line size if a range, dryer or garage heater has been added since the old furnace went in. We install Goodman, Amana, KeepRite, Rheem, Carrier, Lennox, Trane and York, and we are honest that at the same efficiency tier the brand matters less than the install; does the furnace brand matter explains why. Drive time from our Burlington shop is roughly 25–35 minutes to any part of Hamilton — the QEW and Red Hill for the Mountain and Stoney Creek, the 403 for Westdale, Dundas and Ancaster — and a repair-first opinion is always on the table through our Hamilton furnace repair service.
Why ZK Mechanical for furnace installation & replacement in Hamilton
- Chimney liner or venting change priced into every lower-city quote — no orphaned water heater left behind
- Right-sizing for Mountain bungalows that have carried oversized furnaces for decades
- No City permit needed for a straight furnace replacement in Hamilton; the ductwork permit is handled when the job changes the ducts
- TSSA-licensed gas connection and pressure test on your Enbridge Gas line
- High-efficiency installs $4,500–$7,500, written price before any work starts
- Value lines through to premium: Goodman, Amana and KeepRite alongside Rheem, Carrier, Lennox, Trane and York, matched to your ducts and budget
- Old furnace removed and disposed of, basement swept, same day
Licensed technicians, Hamilton dispatch, no overtime charges.
Furnace Installation & Replacement in Hamilton — FAQs
What does furnace installation cost in Hamilton in 2026?
High-efficiency installs $4,500–$7,500 is the honest Hamilton range. Across the GTA in 2026 a new high-efficiency furnace typically lands between $4,300 and $7,000 installed, and premium brands (Lennox SLP98V, Carrier Infinity 98, Trane S9V2) carry a $500–$1,500 premium over equivalent base brands. A lower-city liner for the orphaned chimney, or moving the tank to a power-vented model, adds to the quote; a straight furnace replacement needs no City of Hamilton building permit, and a job that changes the ductwork carries the permit inside the quote. If the air conditioner is also tired, replacing both together typically runs $7,500–$11,500 and saves $1,000–$2,500 against two separate jobs. Each of those items appears as its own line, so nothing hides inside a single lump-sum number.
Why does my Kirkendall or Westdale furnace quote include a chimney liner?
Because your water heater is about to lose its partner. In a lower-city century home the furnace and the water heater share one masonry chimney, and the furnace's hot exhaust is what keeps that chimney warm enough to draft. Once the new condensing furnace vents out the side wall in PVC, the water heater alone cannot warm a flue that size, so its exhaust cools, condenses on the brick and can spill back into the basement. A stainless liner sized to the water heater fixes it; switching to a power-vented tank or a tankless unit is the other route, and we price both so you can choose.
What size furnace does a Hamilton Mountain bungalow need?
Smaller than the one in it, more often than not. A 1950s East Mountain bungalow of around 1,000 square feet on the main floor was commonly fitted with far more furnace than it needed, and later attic insulation and window replacements pushed the real heat loss down further. We measure the house, count the windows and exposure, and run the heat-loss calculation instead of matching the label on the old unit; a right-sized two-stage furnace runs longer and quieter and holds a steadier temperature. Our furnace sizing guide explains the BTU math.
Do I need a permit to replace a furnace in Hamilton?
Not for a straight replacement. The City of Hamilton's building permit page lists replacing a furnace among the projects that don't require a building permit, and lists new or replacement ductwork in an HVAC system among the work that does. So a furnace-for-furnace swap goes ahead without a City permit, and when the job also changes the ducts we pull the permit, book the inspector and hand you the closed permit for your records. The gas connection itself must be made by a TSSA-licensed technician no matter what. Our guide to HVAC permits in Hamilton covers the details.
Should I consider a heat pump instead of a new furnace in Hamilton?
If your air conditioner is also near the end of its life, yes — get both quotes. A cold-climate heat pump replaces the AC, carries most of the heating season, and keeps the new furnace as backup for the coldest Mountain nights, and current Ontario programs return up to $7,500 depending on the system. If the AC is young and you simply need heat, a high-efficiency furnace on its own is the cheaper, simpler job. Our Hamilton heat pump installation page lays out the dual-fuel option, or contact us and we will quote both.
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Furnace Installation & Replacement in Hamilton — fast.
Emergency repair or planned upgrade, quoted in writing before any work starts.