Heating in Phoenix: heat pumps, furnaces and the few boilers

Quick answer: Almost no Phoenix homes are heated by a boiler. EIA data shows 55% of Arizona homes on a furnace and 25% on a central heat pump, nearly double the national share, while boilers are too rare to estimate. Arizona exempts boilers in private homes and apartment complexes of up to six units from state inspection. SRP still pays Cool Cash rebates on qualifying heat pumps; APS ended several efficiency programmes on 1 January 2026.

In Phoenix the heating question is really a cooling question. Most homes have a heat pump or a furnace paired with central air, and the system is sized for summer, not winter. Boilers exist mainly in commercial buildings, hotels, pools and industry, which is why the boiler firms listed below are commercial specialists. This guide covers the Arizona licence you should look for, the utility rebates, and what the state says about home boilers.

How Phoenix homes are heated

Main heating equipment (EIA, 2020)	Arizona	United States
Furnace (warm air)	55% of homes	60%
Central heat pump	25%	13%
Steam or hot water boiler	Too few to estimate reliably	8%

These are statewide figures from the EIA’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey. With a heat pump doing most of the work, the decision when a system fails is usually whether to replace like for like or move to a higher-efficiency model; our guide to heat pumps and gas replacements sets out what to compare.

Arizona boiler rules and homes

The Arizona Administrative Code rules on boilers (Title 20, Article 4, enforced by the Industrial Commission of Arizona’s boiler safety section) apply to boilers, lined hot water heaters and pressure vessels, except those operated in private residences or in apartment complexes of not more than six units. A home boiler, then, is outside the state inspection regime, and keeping it serviced is up to you.

Contractor licences: the Registrar of Contractors

Arizona licenses contractors through the Registrar of Contractors (ROC). For home heating and cooling, the residential R-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration classification is the one to look for. Its scope, as set out in the Arizona Administrative Code, covers:

Work	Covered by R-39
Refrigeration and evaporative cooling systems	Yes
“Dry” heating (furnaces, heat pumps) and radiant heating	Yes
“Wet” heating: steam or hot water boilers, coils, baseboard convectors	Yes, limited to 30 PSIG and 220°F for hot water and 15 PSIG for steam
Ventilation, duct work, filters and controls	Yes

So an R-39 contractor can also work on a typical home hot water boiler. Check the licence number on the ROC’s public licence search before you sign, and ask whether the job needs a City of Phoenix permit.

SRP and APS rebates

SRP serves much of the Phoenix metro area. Its Cool Cash programme pays rebates on qualifying high-efficiency air conditioners, heat pumps and mini-splits. SRP’s application terms say the installing contractor must be licensed in Arizona to install residential air conditioning, and the application must be submitted within six months of installation. SRP sets the SEER2 requirements and per-ton amounts on its rebate pages and changes them from time to time, so ask your contractor to show the current figure.

APS serves other parts of the metro area. APS says a number of its efficiency programmes were discontinued from 1 January 2026, following Arizona Corporation Commission Decision No. 81584. Its site still lists some smaller residential offers, such as a duct repair and sealing rebate, so check what applies before you rely on an APS rebate in a quote. The federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, which paid up to $2,000 towards a qualifying heat pump, applied to installations through 31 December 2025 (ENERGY STAR). Some older cost guides and contractor pages still mention it, so do not count it in a 2026 budget.

Typical heating prices

We have not found a Phoenix-only price survey. HomeGuide puts a new gas furnace at $3,800–$12,000 installed and an air-source heat pump at $10,000–$25,000 installed for an average-sized house, while a ductless heat pump runs from $2,000 to $17,000 depending on the number of zones. If you do have a boiler, a standard-efficiency replacement is typically $2,200–$7,000. All figures were checked in September 2026 and are national; see our US boiler and heating costs guide for the full table. HomeGuide also notes air-source heat pumps perform well above 25°F, which covers Phoenix winters comfortably, so a cold-climate model is rarely needed here.

Request a boiler quote

Free and no obligation. Tell us what you need and where, and we will look for a heating engineer who covers your area.

What do you need? * Country * ZIP code * Town or city Property type How soon? *

Anything else we should know? (optional)

Your name * Email * Phone (optional) Best way to contact you

I agree that Best Boiler Deals may pass my details to a heating engineer covering my area so they can contact me about this request. Privacy policy.

We are a comparison and referral service, not a heating engineer. We do not guarantee a quote, a price or a response time. Anyone working on gas appliances in the UK must be on the Gas Safe Register; check the engineer's ID card before work starts.

How to choose a heating contractor in Phoenix

Check the ROC licence and classification: R-39 (or a dual CR-39) for home heating and cooling.
Ask about sizing. Systems here are sized for cooling; ask how the contractor calculated the load.
Rebates. Confirm which utility serves you (SRP or APS) and which rebate, if any, is in the price.
For a boiler, ask whether the firm does residential hydronic work; most Phoenix boiler firms are commercial.

Questions to ask before you sign

Will you size the new system from a heat-loss calculation, or simply match the old unit? HomeGuide notes a Manual J load calculation typically costs $200–$500.
Who pulls the permit, and is the permit fee in the price?
Does the quote include removing the old equipment, venting or chimney work, and any new controls?
Which rebates have you allowed for, and is the rebate shown as a line on the invoice or paid to me later?
What labour warranty do you give, and what does the manufacturer’s warranty require (registration, yearly servicing)?

Our guide to comparing boiler quotes like for like has a fuller checklist, and repair or replace helps if the old unit is still running.

Heating firms in the Phoenix area

These businesses appear in public business listings for the Phoenix area, and each has its own website describing heating work. The first three are boiler firms that mainly serve commercial buildings; the rest are residential heating and cooling contractors. We have not checked their work, prices, licences or insurance, and they have not paid to appear. Check the licence yourself before you book.