In short
- One Ontario rental provider lists a furnace from $67 a month, or from $3,995 to buy installed. At $67 a month, fifteen years comes to $12,060 before any rate change or tax.
- HomeStars' Ottawa page puts furnace installation at $4,000–$6,750.
- A lease signed at your home must state the unit's estimated retail price and the total payable over its average useful life.
- Since 6 June 2024, Ontario bans NOSIs on title for home equipment such as furnaces and water heaters; the contracts behind old ones stay in force.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Furnace installation, Ottawa | $4,000–$6,750 | HomeStars Ottawa page, purchase |
| Furnace rental | from $67/month | One Ontario rental provider; repairs and a service visit every two years in the fee |
| Furnace purchase, same provider | from $3,995 | With standard installation and a one-year warranty |
| Central air rental | from $72/month | Same provider; purchase from $4,295 installed |
| Central air system, Ottawa | $3,000–$7,500 | HomeStars Ottawa guide |
| Water heater rental | $19.29–$70.01/month | Same provider’s starting rates; a conventional-vent gas tank from $25.87 |
| Gas storage water heater | $800–$2,000 | Canada-wide guide; installing a standard tank $450–$600 |
Sources. Purchase prices, Ottawa: HomeStars, Furnace installation and replacement pros in Ottawa, cost section and HomeStars, Heating and cooling cost guide for Ottawa, seen 29.10.2026. Water heaters: HomeStars, Water heater replacement cost, Canada-wide, published 30.06.2026, seen 29.10.2026. Rental rates, the same provider’s purchase prices, furnace life and repair prices on an owned tank: one Ontario rental provider’s published furnace rental, air conditioner rental, tank water heater rental, rent-vs-buyout and furnace buyer’s guide pages and its sample water heater rental agreement (PDF), seen 29.10.2026. Lease disclosure: Ontario, O. Reg. 8/18, seen 29.10.2026. Door sales and cooling-off: Ontario, Rules for businesses entering into contracts at a consumer’s home and Ontario, cover page dated 19 July 2024 (PDF), seen 29.10.2026. NOSIs: Ontario, Notices of security interest, seen 29.10.2026. Home sales: Competition Bureau, Home buyers surprised at high fees to exit water heater rental contracts, 18.04.2016, seen 29.10.2026. Financing and rebates: City of Ottawa, Better Homes Ottawa and eligible improvements, Home Renovation Savings, Heat pumps, seen 29.10.2026. Permits: City of Ottawa, Projects not requiring building permits, seen 29.10.2026. Gas work: TSSA, Be Fuels Wise, seen 29.10.2026.
What the monthly payment buys
A rental is a lease. The provider owns the furnace, air conditioner or water heater and keeps it running for a monthly fee. One Ontario provider’s furnace program includes installation, repairs, and a service visit every two years. The agreement runs for the life of the equipment, which its air conditioner page puts at roughly ten to fifteen years.
The two prices side by side
The same provider lists a furnace from $67 a month, or $3,995 to buy installed; central air from $72 a month, or $4,295 to buy. At the starting rates, before any rate change or tax:
- Furnace: $804 a year; $12,060 over the fifteen-year average life its buyer’s guide gives.
- Central air: $864 a year; $8,640–$12,960 over ten to fifteen years.
- Gas water heater, conventional vent: $310 a year; about $3,100 over a decade. HomeStars puts a gas tank at $800–$2,000 plus $450–$600 to install, lasting eight to twelve years.
Ottawa purchase prices sit higher than that entry figure: $4,000–$6,750 for furnace installation on HomeStars’ Ottawa page. The furnace replacement cost page breaks a purchase down line by line.
What owning adds after the install
Once the one-year warranty ends, repairs on an owned unit are yours. The same provider’s list for a customer-owned water heater shows $342 for a flame sensor, $526 for a gas valve and $827 for a venter assembly on a customer-owned water heater, plus tax. A fair comparison sets the rental total against the purchase price plus yearly service and a repair or two. Any gas appliance you own still needs a TSSA-registered contractor for that work.
The lines Ontario requires in a lease signed at home
Under O. Reg. 8/18, a furnace, air conditioner or water heater contract signed at your home opens with Ontario’s cover page on your rights, signed before work starts. The agreement must then show:
- for a lease, an estimate of the unit’s retail price and the total payable over its average useful life;
- one-time charges such as installation, removal or late payment;
- every charge for ending the agreement, with a schedule if it changes over time;
- your duties if you stop owning the house.
Ask for those two lease figures on any rental offer and set them beside a purchase quote. You may cancel within 10 days of receiving the agreement in writing.
Offers at the door
Since 1 March 2018, these products may be sold at your home only when you invited the business there to buy or lease one, or when a business you already have a written contract with asked first and you agreed. A call for a repair, an assessment or maintenance is no invitation to sell. A contract from unsolicited door marketing is void: you may keep the equipment with no obligation.
NOSIs, selling and buying a house
Rental companies used to register a notice of security interest on title. Ontario says some charged large fees to remove them, often discovered at a sale or refinancing. Since 6 June 2024, consumer NOSIs are banned and old ones deemed expired. The contract survives, and the business keeps its rights under it, including court action.
Selling? List every rented appliance and attach the agreements. Buying? The Competition Bureau tells buyers to check the terms of any rented water heater, furnace or air conditioner before signing, since a rental can be bundled into the purchase.
Leaving a rental, or buying with financing
Ask for the buyout figure and the termination schedule in writing. One provider’s sample agreement says a bought-out water heater comes as is, with full responsibility passing to you, so an old unit may be worth replacing outright.
To own without paying up front, Ottawa’s Better Homes loan covers heat pumps at 4.33% fixed over twenty years, from $10,000, repaid on the property tax bill; a gas furnace is absent from its list. See the heat pump rebates page, and furnace replacement for the install.
Who handles your request
Ottawa Heating Desk passes your request to one independent Ottawa heating company. That company calls you back, looks at the equipment and prices an owned replacement. Your rental agreement stays between you and the rental company.
Questions people ask
Can a rental company register something on my title?
For home equipment, that ended on 6 June 2024. Existing consumer NOSIs are deemed expired and leave the land unaffected, though they still show on title. Ontario warns about companies offering to remove them for a fee; removal is optional.
I am selling the house. What happens to the rented water heater?
The agreement stays in force. One provider lets you transfer its water heater rental to the next owner. The Competition Bureau has warned that the fee to exit such a contract can be $1,000 or more, so give the agreement to your lawyer early.
Can I cancel a lease I signed at home?
Yes, within 10 days of receiving the agreement in writing. Cancel in writing so you can prove the date.
Who services a gas furnace I own?
Ontario law requires a TSSA-registered contractor, who must employ TSSA-certified gas technicians. What the yearly visit covers is on the furnace maintenance page.
Does a rented heat pump qualify for a rebate?
Home Renovation Savings has a line for renting one, open to any heating fuel: $500 a ton up to $2,000 for cold-climate air source, $3,000 for ground source. Ask who files and who gets the money.
Does swapping a rented hot water tank for an owned one need a City permit?
Replacing an existing hot water tank is on the City of Ottawa’s no-permit list, outside heritage-designated buildings.
