No heat in Rochester? Start with the gas and pipe steps

The furnace is not heating the house in Rochester. Start with the gas and pipe steps.

Rochester's permit page covers gas and mechanical replacement and says owners need permits for their own work. AFUE, annual fuel utilization efficiency, is the rating utilities use for furnace rebates. Minnesota Energy Resources publishes furnace rebates by AFUE.

Written by

Cold House Fix editorial staff

Facts checked

October 25, 2026

Reading time

1 minute

Ask for a call

If the furnace stopped, start with what to do when the furnace is not working. Minnesota Energy Resources customers who smell gas are told, on that utility's safety page, to leave and call 800-889-4970 from another location. For carbon monoxide, the same site's emergency header says to leave the building and call 911.

The dollars Rochester's gas utility prints are rebates by AFUE. A 97% AFUE furnace installed from July 15 through November 15, 2026 can include a $300 bonus on the $500, if the form is submitted or postmarked by December 4, 2026. ENERGY STAR says to consider replacing a furnace or boiler more than 15 years old. Furnace rebates in 2026 has the federal 25C cutoff. What does a furnace repair cost? has the national Angi range.

The local record for Rochester

What it costs

Rochester does not publish a furnace repair price on its permit page. HomeAdvisor, updated June 20, 2026, says furnace repair costs average $318, with a normal range of $133 to $505, and a wider range of $64 to $1,475. Those figures are national, not a bid. For Minnesota Energy Resources customers, the utility table shows $200 at 92% AFUE, $350 at 94%, and $500 at 97%, which is the "up to $500" figure, and only at 97% AFUE.

Permits and registration

Rochester's building permit page says a permit covers replacement of any gas, mechanical, or plumbing equipment. Owners and occupants of single-family homes must get permits for DIY work they do themselves, and the person who signs is responsible for code compliance. On a rental, landlords may do carpentry, but trade work has to be done by professional contractors. The page also says city code chapter 4-1 requires residential building contractors to be licensed with the state. A permit is treated as expired after 180 days without an inspection or an update to the department.

Climate

NOAA's 1991-2020 annual normals for station USW00014925 list 7,855.7 heating degree days and 532.7 cooling degree days. The station file names that ID as ROCHESTER INTL AP, Minnesota. The January normal daily minimum is 7.0 degrees Fahrenheit. Those normals describe the climate record. They are not a forecast. Duluth's heating degree day total on the same NOAA dataset is 9,115.4, which is higher than Rochester's 7,855.7.

About Rochester

The Census Bureau's July 1, 2024 population estimate for Rochester city, Minnesota, in the Vintage 2024 city totals file, is 123,624. The city energy page says Rochester Public Utilities and Minnesota Energy Resources team up with the Center for Energy and Environment on the Neighborhood Energy Challenge, and that the two utilities also offer programs for income-qualified residents and for low-income residents over 60. A 97% AFUE furnace installed July 15 through November 15, 2026, can get a $300 bonus on top of the $500, if the form is submitted or postmarked by December 4, 2026. Minnesota Energy Resources tells its customers to leave immediately on a gas smell and call 800-889-4970 from another location.

Sources