Heating decisions
Honest heating decision guides for Greater Seattle — the trade-offs, sourced local cost context, and the questions to ask any bidder before you sign.
Evaluate
Should I repair my furnace or replace it?
This is the repair-or-replace decision framework — not the furnace-vs-heat-pump comparison table. Under 10 years old: repair, almost always. Past 15: put major-repair money toward replacement. In between, weigh four inputs — age, what failed, the efficiency you'd gain, and how long you'll stay in the home. A cracked heat exchanger at any advanced age is the classic replacement trigger. Seattle's long October–May heating season and rising PSE gas rates tip borderline cases toward replacement sooner than national rules of thumb, especially when a heat-pump conversion would unlock Seattle City Light or PSE money at the same visit and your panel can support it.
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Evaluate
80% or 95%+ AFUE: which furnace tier should I buy?
This is the AFUE-tier decision framework — not the 80%-vs-95% comparison table with spec columns. In Seattle's long heating season, a condensing furnace (90–99% AFUE) usually justifies its premium over an 80% unit — you keep 15+ more cents of every gas dollar for six-plus months a year, and current WA code pushes the same direction. The honest exceptions are venting-constrained installs in pre-war housing, short ownership timelines, and homes where the premium should fund a heat-pump conversation instead. Staging (two-stage/modulating) often affects daily comfort more than the last few AFUE points on a mild PNW shoulder day.
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Evaluate
How do I actually compare HVAC quotes?
This is the quote-comparison framework — not a price spreadsheet. Line up any two bids on five axes and the 'cheaper' one frequently stops being cheaper: how the size was determined (load calculation vs guess), what scope is included (permits, venting, electrical, disposal), which equipment tier exactly, what labor warranty backs it, and who files the rebates on your utility territory. Seattle City Light instant discounts apply at purchase through qualifying dealers; PSE conversion rebates require network-qualified installers from April 2026 — price is the fifth question, not the first.
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Need the fundamentals first?
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How long does a furnace last in Seattle?
Most gas furnaces in the Puget Sound area last 15–20 years, and regular professional maintenance is the biggest factor in which end of that range you reach. Our long heating season means more runtime hours per year than milder climates, so wear accumulates faster than national averages suggest. Past 12–15 years, major repairs usually stop making financial sense against replacement — especially when a newer furnace or a heat pump conversion would also cut fuel spend and unlock utility rebates.
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How does a gas furnace actually work?
A gas furnace burns fuel inside a sealed metal heat exchanger, then blows your home's air across the outside of that hot metal — the air you breathe never touches the flame or combustion gases, which vent outdoors through the flue. Everything else on the spec sheet (AFUE, stages, variable speed) describes how efficiently and smoothly the furnace delivers that heat across Puget Sound's long, mild heating season. Understanding that sequence is what makes repair quotes, efficiency tiers, and heat-pump comparisons readable instead of opaque.
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Why does my furnace keep turning on and off?
Short-cycling — the furnace firing for only a few minutes, stopping, then restarting over and over — is almost always one of three things: restricted airflow overheating the unit, a dirty flame sensor dropping the flame, or a furnace that was oversized for the house on day one. Left alone, the pattern burns more fuel, wears the heat exchanger and ignition parts faster, and leaves rooms feeling uneven. The fix path starts with the cheapest checks (filter, flame sensor) before anyone opens the sizing conversation.
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Still heating with oil in Seattle? Here's the honest picture
Roughly 8,000–10,000 Seattle homes still heat with oil — mostly pre-war Craftsmans, Tudors, and foursquares across Burien and West Seattle that never converted to gas or electric. The City of Seattle calls oil the most expensive form of home heating here, and its Clean Heat program currently pays $2,000 at any income (up to $6,000 income-qualified) to replace an oil furnace with a qualified heat pump and decommission the tank — the standard exit path for this aging fuel in our market.
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