Heating that holds at −20°
Heating a Burlington, Oakville or Hamilton house comes down to three choices: a high-efficiency gas furnace at $4,500–$7,500 installed, a 3-ton cold-climate heat pump at $9,500–$15,000 before rebates of up to $7,500, or a hybrid of the two. We size by heat-loss calculation and put the price in writing first.
Heating service covers gas furnaces, cold-climate air-source heat pumps, hybrid (dual-fuel) systems, boilers in radiator homes, and the gas lines and venting behind them. The house picks the equipment: a Westdale or Old Oakville brick home with cast-iron radiators is a boiler job, a 1980s Tyandaga or Glen Abbey two-storey with ducts takes a furnace or a ducted heat pump, and a Bronte condo with a fan coil is neither.
What fails follows the era. The 80% mid-efficiency furnaces across Millcroft, River Oaks and Stoney Creek are near 30 years old and go on heat exchangers, inducer motors and control boards; 2000s builder-grade condensing units in Alton Village and Joshua Creek fail younger, on condensate traps, pressure switches and igniters, because they were the cheapest unit that met code. Pre-1990 conversion furnaces in Hamilton's lower city still run — burning more than a third more gas than a 96% AFUE replacement.
Sizing is where heating installs go wrong. Builders in 1990s and 2000s Halton subdivisions reused one generous furnace size across floor plans, so an Orchard semi often carries the furnace of a detached twice its size: it short-cycles, wears early and leaves the upstairs cold. We run a heat-loss calculation — square footage, insulation, windows, duct capacity — and the answer is often one size smaller than the unit coming out (what size furnace you need).
A cold-climate heat pump is worth pricing for most gas-heated homes here: $9,500–$15,000 installed for a 3-ton unit, with Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program returning up to $7,500 on qualifying systems. Lake Ontario keeps lakeshore winters mild enough that a heat pump carries most of the season; homes up the Escarpment in Waterdown and on the Mountain see more deep-cold hours and lean hybrid. Rules change — check the rebates hub before counting on a number.
Book a heating assessment when
- The furnace is past 15 years and this is its second repair in two winters
- Rooms over the garage or at the end of long duct runs never reach the setpoint
- Gas bills climb on the same thermostat setting — an aging 80% unit, or leaking ducts
- You want a heat pump or hybrid priced before the rebate rules change
- A mid-efficiency furnace still vents into your masonry chimney
How it works
We measure the house, check duct sizes and static pressure, confirm the gas meter and electrical panel can carry the new load, and ask how you actually live in the rooms.
Furnace, heat pump and hybrid priced side by side, with the Home Renovation Savings Program amount as its own line — never folded into a discount. We file the paperwork after install.
Old unit out, new one in, gas and venting by a TSSA-licensed technician, a permit pulled where Halton Region or the City of Hamilton requires one, combustion verified. Request a quote.
Brands: We install Lennox, Carrier, Goodman, Rheem and Daikin, and service every major brand regardless of who installed it.
Common questions
Furnace or heat pump for a Burlington or Hamilton home?
A gas furnace stays cheapest to run while Enbridge gas rates sit low relative to electricity; a cold-climate heat pump wins where the rebate applies, where the home heats with electricity or oil, and where you want cooling in the same box. Hybrids split the season between them. The heat pump vs furnace comparison runs the ten-year math.
How long does a furnace installation take?
One working day for a straight swap — typically 6–8 hours including removal, gas work, venting and testing. Add half a day when a masonry chimney needs a stainless liner. Heat pumps take one to two days for the line set and electrical.
What heating rebates are available right now?
Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program — Enbridge with Save on Energy — is the live program: up to $7,500 on qualifying cold-climate heat pumps in non-gas homes (gas-heated homes have a lower cap) and $100 for a smart thermostat. The Canada Greener Homes Grant closed to new applicants in 2024 and Enbridge HER+ has ended — ignore a quote that still lists them. Amounts and eligibility change; check the program page before you budget.
Do you take away the old furnace?
Yes — removal and disposal are in every install quote, along with capping the old chimney connection when the new furnace vents through the wall. We also check whether a water heater left alone on that oversized flue still drafts safely — it often needs a liner.
Do you service boilers and radiator homes?
Yes. Westdale, Dundas, Kerr Village and Old Oakville still heat with hot-water radiators, and the usual calls are a boiler losing pressure, a seized circulator pump, a waterlogged expansion tank or a stuck zone valve. We repair those and replace old atmospheric boilers with condensing units — see heating in Hamilton for the century-home specifics.