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Furnace not working
The furnace stopped. Leave if you smell gas or a carbon monoxide alarm is sounding. If the air is clear, drip the taps, open the sink cabinets, and find the water shutoff.
The heat is out. Start with the first-hour guide.
Plain guides for a furnace that stopped, pipe steps, rebates, and how to judge a heating company. Each one links to the page it came from.
When the heat stops
Gas smell, carbon monoxide alarms, and the pipe steps that still apply if the furnace is already out.
Short answer
Cold air
Leave first for a gas smell or a CO alarm. If the air is safe, ENERGY STAR says to check the furnace filter once a month and change it if it is dirty.
Short answer
Won't turn on
If your furnace won't turn on, a dirty filter can shut the air handler down. During an outage, never run a generator indoors. Leave first for gas or CO.
Short answer
Frozen pipes
The National Weather Service says drip hot and cold water, open sink cabinets on outer walls, and set heat no lower than 55 degrees if it still runs.
Repair, replace, and rebates
What a repair costs nationally, what a utility pays, and the federal credit that ended for 2026 installs.
Short answer
Furnace rebates
The federal 25C credit does not cover a furnace placed in service after December 31, 2025. Utility rebates still differ by city and by AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency).
Short answer
Furnace repair cost
HomeAdvisor says furnace repair costs average $318, with a normal range of $133 to $505. Those figures are national, not a bid.
Getting help
How to judge a heating company, including the companies that may call you from this site.
Comparison
Choosing a company
A way to judge any heating company, including one that calls you from this site. Ask for the license your city requires and a written price before work starts.
Where you live
City pages built on permits, climate normals, utility rebates, and a national repair range.
City guide
Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids limits who can pull a mechanical permit. MidAmerican supplies natural gas in the city. For a furnace bought, installed, and operating in 2026, its discount is $2.40 per 1,000 Btu per hour for its own customers, not a flat city price.
City guide
Duluth
AFUE, annual fuel utilization efficiency, is the rating utilities use for furnace rebates. Duluth publishes a 2026 furnace permit fee and a $200 utility rebate for a 90% AFUE furnace. The repair price itself is not on a city fee schedule.
City guide
Rochester
Rochester's permit page covers gas and mechanical replacement and says owners need permits for their own work. AFUE, annual fuel utilization efficiency, is the rating utilities use for furnace rebates. Minnesota Energy Resources publishes furnace rebates by AFUE.
City guide
Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls says contractors who do mechanical or HVAC work in the city need a city Mechanical Contractors License. A homeowner who lives in and owns a single-family home needs mechanical homeowner permits instead. The published rebates are for electric heat pumps.
A credit or a rebate rule changed
Short dated posts when a tax credit or a rebate rule changes, each linked to the agency page that announced it.
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The federal furnace tax credit does not cover a 2026 install
The IRS section 25C energy efficient home improvement credit is not allowed for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. A furnace installed in 2026 does not get that credit.
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Ask for a call about the furnace.
If you smell gas or a carbon monoxide alarm is sounding, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911 from outside. Asking for a call does not hire a company.
Ask for a call