Furnace Installation in Burnaby

Furnace installation in Burnaby runs from $3,800 for an 80% single-stage system to $5,500-$9,000 for high-efficiency two-stage equipment installed, with the number set by the measured load, the condition of the original ducts, the venting route and the brand tier. Every written quote includes the Manual J calculation, the permit and gas inspection, removal and disposal of the old unit, thermostat options, and financing from 7.99% with approved credit. The prices on this page are the ranges we invoice — not bait numbers.

Burnaby’s single-family stock is the story: post-war bungalows from 1945-65 in North Burnaby, Capitol Hill and Lochdale, 1960s-70s ranchers stepping down South Slope and Edmonds, and tower districts around Metrotown and Brentwood where strata rules keep the towers off our board. Original ducts that have outlived two or three furnaces get measured properly before we size a blower. Since 2010 we have completed more than 12,000 jobs across Metro Vancouver, and Burnaby runs on our weekly install routes.

This page is the hub for furnace installation in Burnaby: install tiers and prices, the permit and gas-inspection process, the neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood housing map, and the honest CleanBC comparison. For the repair side of the decision, see the Burnaby furnace repair page; for the parent services, the heating overview; for the money side, the financing page lays out the 7.99% path.

Post-war bungalows and original ducts that outlived three furnaces

The 1945-1965 bungalows of North Burnaby, Capitol Hill and Lochdale have often had two or three furnaces through the same ducts. The ducts are the constraint: a modern two-stage unit needs airflow the original design may not deliver, so we measure static pressure and seal leaks before we size the blower. Sometimes the honest answer includes duct corrections, and we quote that on the same sheet as the furnace rather than as a surprise on install day.

Ranchers, slope lots and crawlspace furnaces on South Slope

South Slope and Edmonds ranchers step down the hill, which puts many furnaces in crawlspaces with limited access and long gas runs. Removal planning matters there: the old unit came in when the house was framed, and it leaves through a hatch. We map the removal path, protect floors, and quote compact cabinets where the space is tight. Slope lots also move gas meters and vent terminations in ways that only measurement resolves — measured at the visit, not guessed on the phone.

Metrotown and Brentwood: towers we do not install in, houses we do

The tower districts around Metrotown, Brentwood and Highgate heat with strata heat pumps or electric baseboards, and strata rules make those none of an installer’s business. Our Burnaby work is the houses between them: 1950s-70s stock on the slopes, 1980s-90s family homes in the east, and infill replacing teardowns. Those homes hold some of the most original ductwork in the region, and the right install fixes the airflow along with the furnace — sealed ducts first, right-sized blower second.

Manual J first: sized by measurement, not square footage

Every Burnaby install starts with a Manual J load calculation — the room-by-room method that accounts for orientation, insulation, window area, ceiling height and duct losses to find the heating load the house actually has. It is included on every quote, and it is the single step that separates a proper install from a nameplate swap. Two houses on the same Burnaby street can need different sizes; the rule-of-thumb that sized the old unit is exactly what we are replacing. The calculation is printed with your quote, so the size is our responsibility in writing.

Why oversizing a furnace backfires

An oversized furnace short-cycles: it blasts, satisfies the thermostat fast, and shuts down before it has run long enough to heat the mass of the house or reach the far bedrooms. Short-cycling is loud, it leaves cold spots, it spikes gas bills, and it stresses the heat exchanger with rapid temperature swings — the classic path to a cracked exchanger and an early replacement. Right-sized systems run longer, quieter cycles, hold temperature evenly and last. When we say Manual J saves money, this is the mechanism: the cheapest furnace to install is often the most expensive one to own.

The permit, the gas inspection and what good paperwork looks like

Gas furnace work in BC requires a permit and a passed inspection — it is not optional, and it is included in our price. We file the permit before the install, and the gas inspection is booked for the days right after. The inspector tags the job, and the paperwork stays with you: for your file, your insurer, and the day you sell the home and a buyer's inspector asks who installed the furnace and under what permit. If any item fails, we fix it and re-inspect at our cost, not yours.

What install day actually looks like

Install day runs 8am to late afternoon for most swaps. The crew shuts down and removes the old furnace — out of the house and recycled the same day — then sets the new unit, connects the gas and venting, runs the condensate, wires the thermostat and starts it up. Commissioning is not optional: gas pressures are verified at the meter, combustion is analyzed at high and low fire, static pressure confirms the ducts carry the airflow, and the thermostat is configured with you before we leave. The house is warm when we go.

• Manual J load calculation printed with your quote
• Removal and disposal of the old furnace, recycled same day
• Permit filed before work; gas inspection booked right after
• Gas pressures verified at the meter; combustion analyzed at high and low fire
• Static pressure tested so the ducts carry the airflow
• Thermostat options wired and configured with you
• CO safety check on the finished install
• 10-year parts warranty registered; 2-year workmanship in writing

In Burnaby, the two variables that move an install are duct condition and access. The post-war bungalows of North Burnaby and Capitol Hill often carry two-sizes-tired original ducts; South Slope crawlspace furnaces need removal paths mapped before disconnect. Both are measured at the in-home visit and quoted on the same sheet.

November is the truth test for every furnace in Burnaby. The first serious cold weekend of the season is when aging igniters, flame sensors and heat exchangers give out in waves, and the phone goes from install bookings to no-heat emergencies in a single night. Install calendars that had next-week openings in mid-October are booking three weeks out by mid-November. The honest advice is boring and free: book the replacement in September or early October, when equipment is in stock, crews are fresh and the price is the price. Spring is the quietest window of the year.

Burnaby’s November is the same story as everywhere in Metro Vancouver: the first real cold weekend kills the aging cohort, and install calendars that had next-week openings in October book out three weeks by mid-month. The post-war bungalow stock fails on schedule, and September bookings skip the queue entirely.

The rebate question deserves the honest version. A new gas furnace receives essentially no CleanBC support — there is no furnace rebate stack. A heat pump can qualify for up to $16,000 in combined CleanBC Better Homes, BC Hydro, FortisBC and municipal support in 2026, and we complete that paperwork when the heat pump wins the comparison. But rebates are one number, not the whole number: we also show the gas-versus-hydro operating cost at Burnaby winter temperatures, the equipment life, and the service reality of each path. Where the heat load is high and gas service is strong, the two-stage furnace at $5,500-$9,000 often still wins the lifetime math — and where it does not, we say so. The full program breakdown is in the CleanBC rebates guide.

“BC Home Service measured our 1960s rancher’s ducts before quoting a furnace, which no other company did. Two-stage installed in a day, permit and inspection handled, and the written price held.”

“They showed us the furnace-versus-heat-pump math with the CleanBC numbers side by side. We went with the furnace and the 7.99 percent financing. Straightforward from the first call.”