Heat pump vs furnace: what permit values show in 2026
Reviewed by Matt Kovalik, licensed Minnesota journeyworker electrician. License AJ703617 (verify). Updated October 2026.
This page puts heat pump and furnace replacement permits side by side for each region, with the middle half, the median and the number of permits behind each.
They are not the same job. A heat pump heats and also cools the house. A furnace only heats, and it is often paired with a separate central air conditioner. Comparing the two figures is not comparing like for like.
We can see the differences between the two in each region, but the permits do not record why they differ, so we do not offer a cause. Use the calculators to check a quote for either job.
Bars show the middle half of declared permit values on one shared scale; the tick is the median.
Northeast
$10,450 to $19,130, median $13,940
58 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh
$4,200 to $7,100, median $5,570
1,538 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh
Midwest
$9,380 to $17,360, median $12,230
41 permits in Cleveland
$3,130 to $6,220, median $4,270
1,713 permits in Cleveland
South
$4,360 to $12,840, median $8,000
92 permits in Baltimore
$3,820 to $7,480, median $5,540
469 permits in Baltimore
West
$6,520 to $16,000, median $11,370
8,147 permits in Seattle
$5,460 to $8,380, median $6,640
5,225 permits in Seattle