Sizing
What size AC do I need in Longwood, FL?
Sizing is a Manual J load calculation on your actual house, not a square-foot rule of thumb. In Longwood that matters more than usual: the median home is 1,594 sq ft with a 1979 build year, and an oversized system short-cycles and leaves the house cold and clammy rather than cool and dry.
The Florida-specific failure
Oversizing is a humidity problem, not a saving
Florida load is two loads. Sensible load is temperature; latent load is moisture. The DOE classifies Florida in the hot-humid Southeast region specifically on the basis of cooling operating hours and the relative humidity during those hours — which is also why the region gets a 14.3 SEER2 floor instead of the national 13.4. A system that is too large satisfies the thermostat quickly, shuts off, and never runs long enough to pull moisture out of the air. The result is a house at 75°F that feels clammy, plus short cycling that wears the compressor.
So bigger is not safer here. It is the specific way a Florida installation goes wrong.
From the appraiser's records
1,594 sq ft is the median, not the answer
What a proper load calculation uses: floor area and ceiling height, orientation and glazing, insulation levels, infiltration, duct location and condition, and the number of occupants. On Longwood stock the two that most often move the answer are duct in a 130°F attic and a single central return that cannot feed the airflow a larger system needs.
Median living area across the city's 4,962 improved residential parcels is 1,594 sq ft, but the subdivision spread is wide: Longwood proper has a 1,176 sq ft median while Hidden Oak Estates runs 2,289 sq ft and Sleepy Hollow 1st Addition 2,210 sq ft. Sweetwater Oaks, outside the city limits, spans roughly 1,800–4,600 sq ft, where four- to six-bedroom plans often run two systems rather than one larger one.
- City median living area
- 1,594 sq ft
- Longwood proper
- 1,176 sq ft median
- Hidden Oak Estates
- 2,289 sq ft median
- Sleepy Hollow 1st Add.
- 2,210 sq ft median
- Winsor Manor 1st Add.
- 2,077 sq ft median
- Columbus Harbor
- 2,014 sq ft median
Why no price per ton appears here
The guides price by size, so this site does too
Published Orlando-metro pricing guides quote by home size and efficiency rather than by nominal tonnage, which is why this site prints $7,500–$10,500 for a 1,500–2,500 sq ft home rather than a price per ton. That band is where Longwood's median house sits.
Sources
- 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/
- 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
- Airborne Tech Service, Orlando AC replacement cost guide (third-party pricing guide). https://airbornetechservice.com/ac-replacement-cost-orlando/
- NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Orlando station. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals
Figures are dated. Permit fees, rebate amounts and code cycles change — re-check the primary source before you rely on a number here.
Ask to see the load calculation
Not a rule of thumb and not the size of the old unit. If the old system was wrong, matching it just repeats the mistake.