Efficiency rules
SEER2 minimums for Longwood, FL and the Southeast
Florida is in the DOE's Southeast region, where a split system central air conditioner under 45,000 Btu/h must meet 14.3 SEER2 — higher than the 13.4 national floor. Critically, the Southeast standard is enforced on the date of installation, not the date of manufacture. There are no exemptions.
The numbers
What Florida equipment has to meet
| Equipment | Minimum | Which standard |
|---|---|---|
| Split-system central AC, under 45,000 Btu/h | 14.3 SEER2 | Southeast regional standard. Florida is in this region. |
| Split-system central AC, 45,000 Btu/h and above | 13.8 SEER2 | Southeast regional standard. |
| National floor, for comparison | 13.4 SEER2 | What the North is held to. Florida's minimum is higher. |
| Split-system heat pump | 14.3 SEER2 / 7.5 HSPF2 | National minimum; applies here. |
| Single-package heat pump | 13.4 SEER2 / 6.7 HSPF2 | National minimum; applies here. |
The rule people get wrong
Enforced at installation, not at manufacture
The installation-date rule is the part that matters to a homeowner being offered a deal on old stock. DOE states that units installed on or after 1 January 2023 must meet the new standards, and that it is illegal for a contractor to install a product that does not meet the regional standard in the Southeast and Southwest. 10 CFR 430.2 defines installation of a central air conditioner as connecting the refrigerant lines and/or electrical systems to make it operational. DOE is explicit that there are no delays and no special exemptions.
So a condenser built in 2022 to a 14.0 SEER2 rating cannot lawfully be installed in Longwood today, however attractive the price. If a quote offers equipment at below 14.3 SEER2, that is not a bargain, it is a compliance problem — and it is the kind of thing that surfaces at the City's mechanical final inspection rather than quietly.
Floor versus target
Why the minimum is not the number to buy
Florida is in the Southeast region because of cooling hours and the humidity during them, not latitude. Longwood runs its equipment close to year-round; the nearest long-record station logs roughly 3,452 cooling degree days and about 51.5 inches of rain a year. The regional minimum is the floor, not the target — Duke's rebate tiers start at 15.2 SEER2 and pay most at 16 SEER2 with 7.5 HSPF2, which is well above the legal minimum. Buying to the floor is the one way to be compliant and still miss the rebate. The tiers.
Seminole County is not in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. HVHZ applies to Broward and Miami-Dade only. Any wind-rating requirement quoted to you here comes from the standard Florida Building Code, not from HVHZ.
Sources
- U.S. DOE, 2023 Central Air Conditioner Standards FAQ. https://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/pdfs/2023_CAC_Standards_FAQ_10-5-2022_Final.pdf
- Duke Energy, Home Energy Improvement — HVAC Replacement. https://www.duke-energy.com/home/products/home-energy-improvement/hvac-replacement
- Duke Energy Florida rebate application portal. https://www.dukeenergyrebates.com/florida/#/home
- NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Orlando station. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals
- Seminole County Property Appraiser CAMA extract (Parcels.csv, dated 5 September 2026), tax district L1 — Longwood; improved residential parcels, DOR codes 01 and 04. https://www.scpafl.org/
Figures are dated. Permit fees, rebate amounts and code cycles change — re-check the primary source before you rely on a number here.
Ask for the SEER2 rating in writing
Not the SEER rating, and not a marketing tier name. The number on the quote should be the SEER2 figure the equipment is rated at, and it should be at least 14.3.