96% vs 98% AFUE Furnace: Is the Upgrade Worth It in Minnesota?
What AFUE measures, the gas math from 80% to 96% to 98% using your own bill, and what a 98% furnace really buys you in a cold Minnesota house.
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Furnace Replacement in Hastings, MN
Plan on $4,500–$9,500 installed for a new furnace in Hastings, with 80% models near the low end and 96–98% condensing models near the top. In the 1800s houses near downtown, our written quote also covers the brick chimney, since changing the furnace can leave the water heater needing a liner.
Furnace replacement calls in Hastings homes
In the older blocks around West Second Street, venting decides the job. A new 80% furnace can stay on the brick chimney, but an old unlined flue rarely matches the new furnace's venting tables, so a sized metal liner usually goes in. Moving to a 96–98% furnace sends the exhaust out through PVC, and the water heater is left alone in a chimney built for two, which calls for a liner or a power-vent water heater. Big round ducts from gravity conversions can often stay once the joints are sealed, but any white tape on them gets tested for asbestos before we cut.
Sizing matters as much. Oversized furnaces got copied from nameplate to nameplate, and a Manual J on the house as it stands now usually calls for less. CenterPoint Energy supplies the gas in Hastings, and its heating rebates for high-efficiency furnaces let you use the dealer of your choice.
Updated September 23, 2026
How much does a new furnace cost in Hastings?
An installed furnace from us runs about $4,500–$9,500 in Hastings: 80% AFUE roughly $4,500–$6,000, 96–98% AFUE roughly $6,500–$9,500. Same prices in Hastings as in every town we serve. See the furnace replacement cost guide.
Are there rebates for a new furnace in Hastings?
Most of Hastings is on CenterPoint Energy gas and Xcel Energy electricity. CenterPoint's heating rebates include high-efficiency boilers, a good fit for the many hot-water houses near downtown, and you choose the dealer. Xcel's rebates cover central AC, heat pumps and ductless mini-splits; ask whether the rebate needs a registered contractor. Addresses on the rural edges served by Dakota Electric Association have its Energy Wise Rebates instead, including heat pump rebates and a central AC tune-up rebate. Rebate programs change every year, so check the utility's current terms before you buy.
Our guides: Xcel and CenterPoint rebates, heat pump rebates.
Signs it's time to replace your furnace
- A cracked heat exchanger on a furnace that's out of warranty
- The furnace is 20-plus years old and needs another major repair
- Rooms far from the furnace never warm up on sub-zero nights
- Gas bills climbing while your thermostat settings haven't changed
- Repair calls two or more winters in a row
- A burner roar or blower noise you can hear across the house
- Replacement parts for your model are getting hard to find
More detail on our furnace installation page.
Furnace replacement in Hastings: questions
Where do the PVC pipes go on an old Hastings house with a stone foundation?
Usually through the wood rim joist above the stone, not through the stone itself. The terminations need the clearances the manufacturer lists from windows, doors, the gas meter and the expected snow line, which can be tight between closely spaced older houses. When a side wall won't work, some furnaces allow the pipes to run up an unused chimney as a chase, provided nothing else vents into it. We lay out the route before quoting.
We want to keep an 80% furnace in our Hastings house. Can the chimney stay as it is?
Sometimes, but plan on a liner. An unlined brick chimney that served a big old furnace for decades often fails the venting tables for a smaller modern 80% model, and flue gases then condense inside the masonry. A metal liner sized for the furnace and water heater together solves that. An 80% furnace runs roughly $4,500–$6,000 installed with us, and any liner is spelled out in the written quote.
More in Hastings
- Furnace repair in Hastings
- AC repair in Hastings
- AC replacement in Hastings
- All HVAC service in Hastings
Furnace replacement near Hastings
- Prescott, WI 3 mi
- Cottage Grove, MN 7 mi
- St. Paul Park, MN 10 mi
- Town of Oak Grove, WI 10 mi
- Newport, MN 11 mi
- Inver Grove Heights, MN 12 mi
Brands we install and service
Guides on furnace replacement
Frozen Condensate Line on a High-Efficiency Furnace
Furnace quit in a cold snap and the drain line froze? How it trips the pressure switch, how to thaw it safely, and fixes that keep it from freezing again.
Read the guideFurnace Limit Switch Tripping? What It Does and What to Check First
Why a furnace high-limit switch keeps tripping, a symptom-to-cause table, the checks to do yourself, the order a technician follows, and what the fix costs.
Read the guideContact Us
Furnace replacement in Hastings? Call or send a request.