Furnace Installation in Cambridge, MA
A new furnace here will run from October through May every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Middlesex County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heat, and nights near 19 degrees
Cambridge homes need the furnace running from October through May. That's eight months of the year, and on winter nights that average 19°F, it's not cycling lightly. It's carrying the house.
A new furnace installed here has to be sized for that kind of stretch, not a mild snap now and then. Most homes in the area heat with gas, and any gas furnace made today has to hit 80 percent AFUE at minimum. That's the federal floor, not a selling point, and it's worth knowing before someone quotes you a unit that barely clears it.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace is on duty
- 19°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 59%
- 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 $180 a year to run in Middlesex County compared with a gas furnace.
Estimates for a typical Middlesex County home, from EIA household energy data, Massachusetts fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
- What size furnace does my house need?
- The right size comes from a load calculation, not a rule of thumb based on square footage. A contractor works through the house room by room, looking at insulation, window area, ceiling height, and air leaks, because two homes the same size can need different furnaces. With winter lows here averaging 19°F, a furnace that is sized wrong will show it fast, either short cycling if it's too big or running constantly and still falling behind if it's too small. Ask the contractor for the load calculation itself, not just a number.
- How do I know it's time to replace my furnace?
- Age is the first thing to check, and a contractor can tell you where your furnace stands against a normal lifespan. Past a certain age, repairs get more frequent and the risk of a breakdown in the middle of winter goes up. Watch for rooms that won't heat evenly, a furnace that cycles on and off more than it used to, or a rise in gas bills without a reason. Heat matters here for 8 months of the year, October through May, so a furnace on its way out is worth replacing before it fails rather than after.
- Is a high-efficiency furnace worth it?
- It depends on how many months your furnace runs and what you're replacing. Homes here need heat from October through May, eight months a year, so a furnace here logs a lot more hours than one in a milder climate, and that changes the math on efficiency. Every non-weatherized gas furnace made since November 2015 has to hit at least 80 percent AFUE, so the real choice is between that baseline and a high-efficiency model rated higher. A contractor can lay out the difference for your specific furnace and how it would run in your house.