HVAC Installation in Boston, MA

Furnace & Heat Pump Installation in Boston, Massachusetts

Planning a furnace replacement or heat pump installation in Boston before the heating season leaves time to compare quotes and arrange any permit, rather than replacing a failed system in cold weather.

HVAC Install Hub connects Boston homeowners and businesses with local HVAC contractors for furnace replacement, heat pump installation, AC, mini-split, and commercial HVAC. Free quote, no obligation.

We are a referral and lead-generation service. We do not perform HVAC work directly. When you submit a quote request, we connect you with local HVAC contractors in the Boston area at no cost to you.

HVAC Services Available in Boston

• AC installation and central air conditioning replacement
• Gas, electric, and oil furnace installation and replacement
• Air-source heat pump installation — heating and cooling in one system
• Ductless mini-split installation for additions, garages, and zone control
• Commercial HVAC — rooftop units, VRF systems, and packaged commercial installs
• Ductwork installation, replacement, and sealing to fix rooms a new unit alone will not

How It Works in Boston

Submit a free quote request with your service type and Boston address. We connect your request with HVAC contractors who serve Boston, so you can discuss your project and get a no-obligation estimate. You choose the contractor and timeline — there is no cost to use our referral service.

Installing HVAC in Boston: What Is Local

Last reviewed October 22, 2026 · How we research

Boston is in climate zone 5A, the cold, moist zone that the Massachusetts residential code assigns to every county in the state. Eversource delivers the city's electricity, including to homes that buy their supply through Boston Community Choice Electricity. National Grid's list of Boston Gas communities includes Downtown, Charlestown, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, West Roxbury and Brighton; the gas bill shows which company serves a given address. HVAC replacements in Boston go through the City's Inspectional Services Department. Its gas permit covers gas appliance and gas heater installation and replacement, with a fee for boilers, heaters and furnaces of $20, plus $50 each, plus $0.09 per 1,000 BTU. Replacing a boiler with no other work, such as opening walls, takes a plumbing permit instead, and sheet metal work has a permit of its own. The City says the applicant for the gas and sheet metal permits must be the contractor performing the work, so a homeowner does not file them directly.

• Climate: IECC climate zone 5A (cold, moist), which the Massachusetts residential code assigns to every county in the state
• Utilities: Eversource delivers electricity; National Grid's Boston Gas territory covers neighborhoods from Downtown to Dorchester and West Roxbury
• Boston's gas permit covers gas appliance and gas heater installation and replacement; for boilers, heaters and furnaces the fee is $20, plus $50 each, plus $0.09 per 1,000 BTU
• Replacing a boiler or water heater with no other work, such as opening walls, takes a plumbing permit
• For the gas and sheet metal permits, the City says the applicant must be the contractor performing the work
• Permits: Inspectional Services Department (gas, plumbing and sheet metal permits)

Weighing a heat pump against a furnace in Massachusetts? Our heat pump vs gas furnace cost by state compares what each delivered heat for in Massachusetts in 2024, and our guides to heat pump installation and furnace installation cover what each job involves. Our calculator turns Massachusetts energy prices into a yearly heating estimate, and how to size a heat pump, AC or furnace explains the load calculation behind a quote.

Sources: Massachusetts Residential Code, 10th edition, chapter 11 (Table N1101.7: Massachusetts 5A, all counties) · City of Boston: utility resources (Eversource delivers electricity under Community Choice Electricity) · National Grid: Boston Gas Company cities and towns · City of Boston: gas permit · City of Boston: install or replace a water heater or boiler · City of Boston: sheet metal permit

Heat Pump Installation and Furnace Replacement in Boston

Replacing a gas furnace or boiler in Boston starts with a City permit: the Inspectional Services gas permit covers gas appliance and gas heater installation and replacement. Choosing an air-source heat pump instead moves heating from the gas bill to the electric bill. As of October 2026, Mass Save, the energy efficiency effort sponsored by Eversource and National Grid, pays $2,650 per ton, up to $8,500, toward whole-home air-source heat pumps installed in 2026, and $1,125 per ton, up to $8,500, for partial-home systems that keep the existing furnace or boiler as a supplement. Mass Save lists lower amounts from January 1, 2027: $2,350 per ton, up to $7,500, for whole-home systems and $1,000 per ton, up to $7,500, for partial-home ones. Its terms call for ENERGY STAR Cold Climate equipment installed by a contractor in the Mass Save Heat Pump Installer Network, and a whole-home system needs a home that is sufficiently weatherized, so ask each contractor you speak with whether they are in that network. Under the Massachusetts residential code, a heat pump with electric-resistance backup needs controls that keep the backup off, except during defrost, when the heat pump can meet the load.

• Mass Save, as of October 2026: $2,650 per ton, up to $8,500, toward a whole-home air-source heat pump installed in 2026; $2,350 per ton, up to $7,500, from January 1, 2027
• Mass Save terms: ENERGY STAR Cold Climate equipment, installed by a contractor in the Mass Save Heat Pump Installer Network
• Boston gas permit fee for boilers, heaters and furnaces: $20, plus $50 each, plus $0.09 per 1,000 BTU

Sources: Mass Save: residential air-source heat pumps (2026 and 2027 amounts) · City of Boston: Community First Partnership with Mass Save sponsors Eversource and National Grid · City of Boston: gas permit · Massachusetts Residential Code, 10th edition, section N1103.1.2 (heat pump supplementary heat)

Furnace and heat pump installation in Boston gets busier as the weather turns — if your current system is already struggling, a furnace replacement booked now usually beats one booked mid-cold-snap. Our guide to when to replace your furnace covers the warning signs and what a replacement costs.

HVAC Installation Cost in Boston

HVAC installation costs in Boston depend on the system type and capacity, the condition of the ductwork, any venting or electrical changes, and the local permit fee, so the reliable figure is a written quote for your home. When comparing quotes, check that each lists the equipment model numbers, the load calculation, the permit and removal of the old equipment.Request a free quote to get started.