Furnace Installation in Oakes, ND
A new furnace here will run from September through May every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Dickey County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Nine months of heat, and nights near 6 below zero
A furnace in Oakes works from September through May. That is nine months of the year carrying the load, with winter lows that average 6°F. Whatever you install has to hold up through that many cold months, year after year.
Dickey County has seen 42 winter storms and 36 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Storms like that knock out power, and in North Dakota, 7% of households lost power for 24 hours or more in 2024. A new furnace should be matched to what your home needs on the coldest night, not just an average one. If it runs on gas, any non-weatherized unit made after November 2015 has to meet 80.0 percent AFUE by federal rule, so that much is already decided for you.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace is on duty
- 6°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 80% AFUE
- the federal minimum any new unit must meet
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
North Dakota requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
North Dakota's license is issued by the Secretary of State, and it covers the contractor rather than any single job. A furnace installation like this one is well above the state's $4,000 threshold, so the contractor doing it has to hold that license.
A furnace installation runs gas to the unit and vents its exhaust, and that connection is the part that has to be right. The state license is what stands behind the contractor for that work. Most cities and counties also require a permit for a furnace replacement, with an inspection once the job is done, separate from what the state license covers.
Sources: North Dakota Legislative Branch · North Dakota Secretary of State
- What size furnace does my house need?
- The right size comes from a load calculation, not the square footage of your house alone. A contractor measures your walls, windows, insulation, and ceiling height, then figures out how much heat your house loses on a night at 6°F, since that is what your furnace has to keep up with here. A furnace that is too big cycles on and off and wears out faster. One that is too small runs constantly and still can't keep the house warm on the coldest nights. Ask whoever installs it to walk you through the calculation instead of just matching the old unit's size.
- How do I know it's time to replace my furnace?
- If your furnace is struggling to keep the house warm, cycling more than it used to, or needing repairs every winter, it's time to start pricing a replacement. Age matters too. A furnace pushed hard for 9 months a year, September through May, wears differently than one that only runs a few months elsewhere. Rising bills with no change in how you use the heat is another sign the furnace is losing efficiency. If yours is old and a repair comes with a price that gives you pause, get a quote on replacement before you pay for the fix.
- Is a high-efficiency furnace worth it?
- It depends on how long you plan to stay in the house and what you're replacing. Since 2015, every new non-weatherized gas furnace has to hit at least 80 percent AFUE, so the real choice is between that baseline and a high-efficiency model rated higher. With heat needed 9 months a year here, a more efficient furnace has more months to earn back the difference in fuel use than it would somewhere with a short winter. A contractor can price both options for your house and give you the actual numbers to compare.