In short
- Orléans lies along the Ottawa River, about 16 km from downtown Ottawa.
- Ontario's Building Code gives Orléans a January design temperature of -26°C, one degree colder than City Hall, Kanata or Barrhaven.
- Single detached houses are more than half of Orléans homes; row and townhouses about 30%.
- HomeStars' Ottawa guide puts furnace repairs at $100–$7,000 and HVAC labour at $75–$150 an hour.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Furnace repair, full range | $100–$7,000 | HomeStars Ottawa guide |
| HVAC labour, hourly | $75–$150/h | HomeStars Ottawa guide, average about $110 |
| Diagnostic or service call | $80–$200 | One Ottawa firm’s published guide |
| Draft inducer motor | $300–$700 | Same firm’s list |
| Blower motor | $400–$1,200 | Same firm’s list |
| Baseboard electric to central gas | $10,000–$16,000 | HomeStars Ottawa guide |
Sources. HomeStars, HVAC Costs in Ottawa, published 30.06.2026, seen 29.10.2026. One Ottawa firm’s published repair list and repair-or-replace guidance (gasmanottawa.com/furnace-repair-cost-ottawa-what-to-expect/, published 25.03.2026), seen 29.10.2026. Climate data: Ontario, 2024 Building Code Compendium, SB-1 Climatic and Seismic Data, seen 29.10.2026. Rebates: Home Renovation Savings, Heat pumps, seen 29.10.2026. Permits: City of Ottawa, Projects not requiring building permits, seen 29.10.2026. CO and gas: Ontario, Carbon monoxide safety, Enbridge Gas, Carbon monoxide safety and Enbridge Gas, Smell natural gas?, seen 29.10.2026. Gas work: TSSA, Be Fuels Wise, seen 29.10.2026. Contracts: Ontario, rules for businesses entering contracts at consumers’ homes and Ontario, guide for home renovation businesses, seen 29.10.2026. Area facts: Wikipedia, Orléans, Ontario, read 29.10.2026.
Three building eras, three kinds of furnace room
Farmland around the old parish of St. Joseph d’Orléans turned suburban in the late 1960s, starting with Queenswood Heights. Work on Highway 174 sped growth in the 1970s, when Convent Glen and Orléans Wood filled in. Early streets in Convent Glen and Queenswood Heights carry ranch-style bungalows and split-levels on larger lots with attached garages.
Fallingbrook and Chapel Hill followed in the 1980s and 1990s: two-storey brick houses and freehold towns. A furnace put in during 1998 turns 28 this winter. Since the 2000s, Avalon, Notting Gate and Cardinal Creek have added narrower lots, stacked towns and condos, where the furnace often sits in a closet and the outdoor unit has little room. Say which era and house type you have.
The climate figures behind sizing
Ontario’s Building Code lists design temperatures in Supplementary Standard SB-1, and Orléans has its own row: -26°C at 2.5% and -28°C at 1%. Only 2.5% of January hours fall at or below the first figure, about 18 hours. City Hall, Kanata and Barrhaven sit one degree warmer. Orléans also logs 4,500 heating degree-days a year, against 4,440 at City Hall.
When a company sizes a new furnace or heat pump, ask which design temperature its heat loss calculation used. Home Renovation Savings describes cold-climate air source heat pumps as designed to work as low as -30°C, four degrees colder than the Orléans design point. More on the equipment: cold-climate heat pumps.
Attached garages and the CO rule
Under Ontario’s Fire Code, a house with a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage needs a CO alarm next to each sleeping area, and since 1 January 2026 on every storey. A gas-heated split-level with an attached garage has two of those triggers. Ontario also asks that furnace, dryer and fireplace vents stay clear of snow; if a side-wall vent was buried when the furnace stopped, say so. CO alarms do not detect natural gas, Enbridge notes. For a gas smell, leave and call 1-866-763-5427 or 911 from a safe place. More: carbon monoxide safety.
Gas, baseboard, oil or propane: name the fuel
Orléans runs east to the rural areas of Cumberland and Navan. Whatever the street, state the fuel: it changes who comes, the cost and the rebate. HomeStars’ Ottawa guide puts a switch from baseboard electric to central gas at $10,000–$16,000, plus $1,000–$5,000 if ductwork is needed.
Home Renovation Savings pays $1,250 per ton, up to $7,500, for a cold-climate heat pump in a home heated with electricity, oil, propane or wood, and $500 per ton, up to $2,000, in an Enbridge Gas home. Townhomes qualify, homes occupied six months or less are excluded, and the contractor needs pre-approval first. See heat pump rebates.
What an east-end repair costs
HomeStars’ Ottawa guide notes that travel time and distance within the region can change the hourly rate, so ask about a travel charge. One Ottawa firm’s list gives $150–$350 for a pressure switch and $300–$800 for a gas valve, and puts a new furnace at $3,500–$7,500. Part by part: furnace repair cost.
Paper before work starts
TSSA states that furnaces must be maintained by TSSA-registered contractors who employ TSSA certified gas technicians, and its website has a lookup tool. Ontario’s renovation guide asks for a written agreement on contracts over $50 and recommends deposits of 10% or less. The quote should list the fault, each part, labour, travel or after-hours charges and HST.
Who handles your request
Ottawa Heating Desk passes your Orléans request to one independent local heating company. That company calls you back, prices the job and does the work.
Questions to ask the company
- Which design temperature will your heat loss calculation use for my address?
- Is there a travel charge for the east end, and is the diagnostic fee credited if I go ahead?
- Would you price a repair and a replacement side by side?
- What is your TSSA registration number?
- Will parts, labour, after-hours charges and HST be on a written quote first?
Have this ready for the call
- Neighbourhood and nearest main road, such as Jeanne d'Arc, Tenth Line or Innes
- Build year and house type: bungalow, split-level, two-storey, freehold town or stacked unit
- The fuel that heats the house: natural gas, electric baseboard, oil or propane
- Photos of the furnace label, thermostat screen and outdoor unit nameplate
- Owned or rented equipment, and English or French for the call
Questions people ask
Can I ask for the call in French?
Yes, put it in your request. A third of Orléans residents report French as their mother tongue. The company that calls back will say whether a French-speaking technician can come.
A salesperson came to my door offering a new furnace. Is that allowed?
Since 1 March 2018, Ontario restricts selling furnaces, air conditioners, water heaters and duct cleaning at your home unless you started the contact. If you invited the business and signed, you have 10 days to cancel from the day you receive the written agreement.
Does a heat pump on a stacked townhouse need a City permit?
The City of Ottawa exempts heat pump and AC installs from a building permit, except on designated heritage buildings and in Heritage District Overlays. In a condo, check the corporation’s rules for outdoor units first.
Our furnace is from the late 1990s. Repair it or replace it?
One Ottawa firm’s published guide leans toward replacement past age 15 when the repair is large, and suggests pricing a new furnace once a repair passes half its cost. Ask for both figures in writing.
Who checks the furnace after a CO alarm?
Get everyone out and call 9-1-1 from outside first. The appliance check after that is gas work for a TSSA-registered contractor; mention the alarm in your request.
