Hey, I’m Mike. I’ve been slinging furnaces across Ontario and the GTA for the last 17 years from minus-35° days in Sudbury to humid-as-hell summers in Windsor. I’ve ripped out 60-year-old gravity octopuses in Leaside semis, crammed high-efficiency condensing units into 100-year-old Toronto triplexes with 19-inch joist bays, and installed tankless combi-boilers for rich guys in Oakville who wanted radiant floors AND endless hot showers.
I’m writing this because every winter my phone blows up with the same panicked texts:
“Mike, my furnace died, it’s -22, kids are crying, what do I do?”
So here’s the real talk version of everything you need to know about heating and furnace installation in Canada right now, in 2025. No sales pitch, no fluff, just what actually happens on the ground.
First: Stop Calling Everything a “Furnace”
Half my customers say “my furnace died” when they actually have a boiler with radiant, or a heat pump, or an ancient oil monster in Cape Breton. In Canada we’ve got:
- Gas forced-air furnaces (most common in Ontario, Alberta, BC burbs)
- Electric furnaces (northern Ontario, Manitoba, some parts of Quebec)
- Oil furnaces (rural Atlantic Canada, still kicking)
- Boilers (old Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg character homes)
- Heat pumps (BC, parts of Ontario now that the greed is real)
- Dual-energy setups (Quebec, where Hydro-Québec pays you to switch to electric when it’s stupid cold)
Know what you have before you call anyone. Take a picture of the thing in your basement or closet and text it to the contractor. Saves everyone an hour of “uhhh I don’t know.”
The 2025 Prices (What I’m Actually Charging This Week : Southern Ontario)
90% of what I install right now:
- Goodman GMVM97 97% modulating + variable speed blower → $5,800 $6,800 installed (most popular right now)
- Lennox EL297V or SLP99V (the quiet Cadillac ones) → $7,800 $10,500
- Carrier Infinity 98 with Greenspeed → $9,200 $12,000 (rich neighbourhoods only)
- Daikin Fit heat pump + gas furnace hybrid → $11,500 $14,500 (huge in Milton and Barrie now)
- Electric furnace + heat pump combo (common cottage country) → $8,200 $11,000
- Full boiler + radiant replacement in old Toronto houses → $14,000 $22,000 (yeah it hurts)
Add $800 $1,800 if your ductwork is garbage from 1955 and needs re-working. Add another $1,200 if we have to run a new gas line because yours is that sketchy ½-inch black iron from the 70s.
Rebates right now (November 2025):
- Up to $7,200 Canada Greener Homes Grant if you’re switching from oil/gas to heat pump (still alive, barely)
- Ontario homeowners: up to $1,250 Enbridge Home Efficiency Rebate for 95%+ furnaces
- Some BC folks still pulling $6,000 $8,000 combined provincial + federal for heat pumps
Pro tip: The grant money is running dry fast. I had three customers last week who got approved in October and now the portal says “funds exhausted.” Move your ass if you want free money.
The Brands I’ll Put My Name On (And The Ones I Won’t)
Good tier (90% of my installs):
- Goodman (parts everywhere, cheap, bulletproof)
- Daikin (they own Goodman now anyway)
- Napoleon (Canadian made in Barrie, great warranties)
- RunTru by Trane (new budget line that’s actually decent)
Better tier (when customer has money):
- Lennox (quietest I’ve ever heard)
- Carrier/Bryant (same company, great apps)
- York (Johnson Controls finally figured their shit out)
I’ll install but won’t lose sleep:
- Amana (same as Goodman but pricier for no reason)
- Keeprite (fine, boring, parts are slow sometimes)
Never again, even if you pay me double:
- Any rebranded Chinese crap from Costco with the blue flame sticker
- Luxaire pre-2018 (nightmare parts)
- Old Tempstar (pre-2020 coil leaks like a sieve)
The Biggest Scams Going Around Right Now
- The “free furnace with 10-year rental” deal You don’t own it. They finance it at 9.9% hidden interest and charge you $79/month forever. I rip out 3 4 of these a week from people who woke up and realized they paid $22,000 for a $4,000 furnace.
- The “we’ll beat any quote by $500” guys They quote you $4,800 over the phone, show up, say “oh your flue pipe is wrong/ductwork needs mods” and suddenly it’s $9,800. Classic bait and switch.
- The “cash deal no tax” dude in the unmarked van 90% of the time he’s pulling used equipment from job-site dumpsters. Seen it. Smelled it. Had to redo it six months later when it caught fire.
Red Flags When Getting Quotes
- Won’t give you a written itemized quote
- Pressures you to sign same day “because price goes up tomorrow”
- Says “we only need 50% upfront” (run)
- Can’t tell you the exact model number they’re installing
- Badmouths every other brand (usually means they only have one supplier)
The Install Day: What Actually Happens
7:30 am : We show up (yes, even in snow). Two-man crew minimum.
8:00 am : Old furnace gets ripped out, recycled properly (I’m not leaving that shit in your yard).
8:30 am : New gas line pressure test, flue pipe upgrade if needed (almost always is).
10:00 am : New furnace goes in. We level it like it’s a pool table vibration kills blowers.
11:30 am : Smart thermostat (Ecobee or Nest usually). I set up the app on your phone while you make coffee.
1:00 pm : Full startup, combustion analysis (I carry a Testo 320), adjust gas pressure for our altitude.
2:00 pm : Show you how everything works, give you the manual, take pics for the rebate forms.
2:30 pm : Clean up like we weren’t even there. Gone.
Whole job usually 6 to 8 hours unless your house is a maze.
Real Life Stories From Last Month
- Lady in Brampton paid some rental company $129/month since 2014. Total paid: $19,440. Furnace was a $3,800 Goodman. Bought it out for $6,200 more. I replaced it for $6,100 cash. She cried.
- Guy in Peterborough had an oil furnace from 1985. Switched to propane high-efficiency + heat pump hybrid. Got $10,200 in grants. His bill dropped from $680/month to $180.
- Condo board in Mississauga tried to force everyone into a $29,000 heat pump retrofit. I showed them they could do gas furnaces for $7,800 each and keep their existing ductwork. Saved the owners $1.4 million combined.
What To Do Right Now If Your Furnace Is On Its Last Legs
- Change the damn filter. Today.
- Get 3 written quotes from licensed TSSA contractors.
- Ask for the exact model number and Google it.
- Check if you qualify for grants BEFORE you buy.
- Don’t wait until it dies in January. I’m booked 4 6 weeks out all winter.
Look, heat is the one thing you don’t cheap out on in Canada. I’ve seen too many families sleeping in -18° with space heaters because they tried to save $800.
Call someone who actually shows up in a marked truck, pulls permits, and doesn’t smell like cigarettes and lies.
