Replacing a furnace or boiler in Massachusetts

Published figures are national, not Massachusetts quotes. Fixr lists furnace replacement at $2,800 to $7,500 (average $4,800) and a new boiler at $3,000 to $8,500 (average $6,100, page updated January 28, 2026), with oil and gas units at the higher end. The one Massachusetts number is Mass Save's average whole-home heat pump installation cost of $22,000 (program data for installs finished in 2022). Aurion does not publish its own price list: send two photos and we price your house. Compare two or three written quotes with the same scope, using the quote checklist.

No, except for income-eligible households. Mass Save says rebates, incentives and financing for gas, oil and propane equipment are no longer available. It does pay for heat pumps: $2,650 per ton up to $8,500 for whole-home installs in 2026.

On DOER and EIA prices read November 6, 2026, delivering 100,000 BTU of heat costs about $3.20 with a 97% gas furnace, $5.12 with an 87% oil boiler, and $2.98 to $4.47 with a heat pump, based on its real-world efficiency. Run your own numbers in the comparison calculator.

Ask for the Manual J load calculation, the exact model and efficiency, the full scope including removal and venting, which permits are pulled and by whom, licence numbers, start and finish dates in writing, the payment schedule and the warranty. The printable checklist on this page has all ten, and the sizing and quote checklist guide has a scorecard for comparing quotes.

Before the heat fails, and before the heat pump rebate drops. A whole-home heat pump installed in 2026 earns $2,650 per ton, and one installed on or after January 1, 2027 earns $2,350 per ton.

Usually several: a gas fitting permit from the local plumbing inspector, a fire department Form 1 for an oil burner, a sheet metal permit for new ducts and an electrical permit for new wiring. Licensed tradespeople pull them. See the permits guide for a permit office card for 23 towns.

If you smell gas or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, leave and call 911 or the fire department. Otherwise move into one room, use a space heater plugged directly into the wall, never an oven, grill or generator, and call your supplier or landlord. Tenants are entitled to 68 degrees by day and 64 at night from September 15 to May 31.

The answer comes from a Manual J heating-load calculation, not square feet. DOE says oversizing is common when contractors use rules of thumb, and ACCA Manual S recommends keeping a furnace within 140% of the peak heating load.

The load calculation, equipment model and efficiency, full scope including removal and venting, the permits and who pulls them, licence numbers, start and finish dates, a payment schedule with a deposit no larger than one-third on a home improvement contract, and the warranty terms. The sizing and quote checklist guide has a scorecard you can copy.

An unused underground tank needs a fire department permit to remove, with a contamination measurement within 24 hours, or approval to close it in place. Above-ground tanks follow the oil burner permit rules. Ask your oil company for credit on usable fuel.

Not for 2026. The IRS says the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit applies to improvements made through December 31, 2025.

Income-eligible households can get help through Mass Save's Income Eligible Program, which includes heating systems, enhanced heat pump incentives of up to $16,000 or no cost, and the state HEARTWAP emergency repair and replacement program. See rebates and financing for the income table.