Furnace Installation in Apex, NC

If your furnace is 15 years old or older, making strange noises, struggling to keep up on cold nights, or driving your gas bills higher every winter — it's telling you something. Furnaces don't usually fail all at once. They decline gradually, running less efficiently and costing more to operate each season until one cold night they don't fire up at all. Replacing a furnace on your schedule, with time to compare options and choose the right equipment, is a completely different experience than scrambling for an emergency install at midnight in January.

A new furnace in Apex typically costs between $3,500 and $10,000 or more when you factor in the unit, installation labor, permits, and any modifications to your gas line, venting, or ductwork. The average homeowner in the Triangle lands somewhere around $5,000-$7,500 for a quality mid-efficiency gas furnace installed correctly. Where you fall in that range depends on the fuel type, efficiency rating, and how much work your existing setup needs.

Gas furnaces are by far the most common choice in Wake County. Most of the area has Dominion Energy or Piedmont Natural Gas service, and natural gas remains one of the cheapest ways to heat a home in central North Carolina. A standard 80% AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) gas furnace gets the job done, but stepping up to a 95%+ AFUE unit can save $300-$500 per year on gas bills. Over a 15-20 year lifespan, that difference pays for itself and then some.

Electric furnaces are cheaper to buy — usually $2,000-$4,000 installed — but they cost significantly more to operate. Duke Energy electricity rates make a straight electric furnace the most expensive heating option per BTU. The one exception is if your home has no gas line and running one would cost $2,000-$5,000. In that case, a heat pump usually makes more sense than an electric furnace anyway.

Heat pumps deserve a mention here because many newer Apex and Holly Springs subdivisions were built with heat pump systems instead of furnaces. If your home currently has a heat pump and you're considering switching to a gas furnace, it's possible but involves running a gas line and installing new venting. Sometimes it makes more financial sense to replace the heat pump with a newer, more efficient model. Our techs can lay out both options with real numbers for your specific situation.

Sizing a furnace correctly matters just as much as sizing an AC. Too small and it runs nonstop during cold snaps without ever reaching your set temperature. Too large and it short-cycles — blasting hot air for a few minutes, shutting off, then firing back up. Short-cycling wastes fuel, creates uneven temperatures, and wears out the heat exchanger faster. We perform a Manual J load calculation for every installation, taking into account your home's square footage, insulation levels, air sealing, window types, and ceiling heights. Apex homes range widely — a 1,500-square-foot ranch needs a very different furnace than a 3,500-square-foot two-story with vaulted ceilings.

North Carolina building code requires permits and inspections for furnace installations. This isn't optional and it's not just bureaucracy. The inspection verifies proper venting (carbon monoxide risk), gas line connections, electrical wiring, and clearances from combustible materials. Any contractor who suggests skipping the permit is a contractor you should avoid. We pull permits through the Town of Apex, Town of Cary, or Wake County depending on your location, and we schedule the inspection as part of the job.

Here's what installation day actually looks like. Our crew arrives in the morning, lays down drop cloths, and disconnects your old furnace. If it's a straight swap (same fuel type, same location, compatible ductwork), most installations finish in one day — usually 4-8 hours. If we're changing fuel types, relocating the unit, or upgrading ductwork, it can stretch to a day and a half. We remove and dispose of your old equipment. We test the new system through multiple heating cycles, verify gas connections with a combustible gas detector, check all electrical connections, and make sure airflow is balanced throughout your home before we leave.

Warranties vary by brand and model but generally break down into two categories. The equipment warranty covers the furnace itself — most major brands offer 10 years on parts, and some offer limited lifetime warranties on the heat exchanger. The labor warranty covers the installation work. We stand behind our installations with our own warranty because we know the work was done right. Ask about the specific terms when you get your estimate.

We provide free in-home estimates for furnace installations across Apex, Cary, Raleigh, Durham, Holly Springs, and Fuquay-Varina. That means one of our NATE-certified techs comes to your home, evaluates your current system, inspects your ductwork and gas lines, and walks you through your options face-to-face. No guessing over the phone, no bait-and-switch pricing.

For homeowners who don't want to pay the full cost upfront, we offer 0% financing on qualifying installations. Spreading a $7,000 furnace over 48 or 60 months makes it easier to choose the higher-efficiency model that saves money every winter. And with the way gas prices have trended in the Piedmont region, higher efficiency translates directly to lower bills.

One last piece of advice: don't wait until your furnace dies on the coldest night of the year. If your system is 15+ years old, makes unusual noises, struggles to keep up, or your gas bills have been climbing, start getting estimates now. Planned replacements give you time to compare options, pick the right equipment, and schedule at your convenience. Emergency replacements mean taking whatever's available. Element Service Group is veteran-owned with over 700 five-star reviews, and we'd much rather help you plan ahead than patch together an emergency at midnight.