Furnace Installation in Lakewood, CO
A new furnace here will run from September through May every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Jefferson County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Nine months of heat, down to 18 degrees
Lakewood needs a working furnace from September through May. That is nine months out of the year, and winter nights average 18°F. A new furnace has to hold up to that stretch without much of a break.
Most homes here heat with gas, and any non-weatherized gas furnace built since November 2015 has to reach at least 80 percent AFUE. Jefferson County has also logged 113 winter storms and 114 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 13 percent of households lost power for a day or more in 2024. Whatever furnace goes in should be sized and installed to keep running through weather like that.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace is on duty
- 18°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 72%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 80% AFUE
- the federal minimum any new unit must meet
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A high-efficiency gas furnace would save about $90 a year to run in Jefferson County compared with a gas furnace.
Estimates for a typical Jefferson County home, from EIA household energy data, Colorado fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
- What size furnace does my house need?
- That comes down to a load calculation, not the square footage of your house. A contractor measures your walls, windows, insulation, and ceiling height, then figures out how much heat your house actually loses on a cold night. Guessing high seems safe but isn't. A furnace that's too big cycles on and off fast, wearing out parts sooner and leaving rooms uneven. With winter lows averaging 18°F here, getting the size right matters more than in milder places, so ask whoever quotes the job to show you the load calculation, not just a number they picked off your old unit.
- How do I know it's time to replace my furnace?
- Age is the first thing to check, along with how often it's breaking down. If a contractor has been out for the same furnace more than once this season, that's a sign it's wearing out rather than having a bad week. Watch too for rooms that used to heat evenly now running cold, or a gas bill climbing with no other explanation. Homes here need heat nine months of the year, from September through May, so a furnace that's struggling has to work through most of the year rather than just a few cold weeks.
- Is a high-efficiency furnace worth it?
- It depends on how long you plan to stay in the house and what furnace you have now. Any new non-weatherized gas furnace sold today has to reach at least 80 percent AFUE by law, so even a standard model is more efficient than one installed years ago. A high-efficiency furnace goes beyond that minimum, which matters more here since your furnace runs nine months out of the year rather than just a few cold weeks. The tradeoff is a higher upfront cost, so a contractor can walk you through what you'd gain given your specific house and furnace.