SEER2 Explained: Florida's Minimum AC Efficiency in Sanford
Florida sits in the DOE Southeast region, where a split-system air conditioner under 45,000 Btu/h must reach 14.3 SEER2 with 11.7 EER2 to be installed — not just manufactured. A heat pump is held to a separate, national standard instead: 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2.
The Southeast regional minimum
STANDARD| Equipment | Capacity | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Split AC | under 45,000 Btu/h | 14.3 SEER2, 11.7 EER2 |
| Split AC | 45,000 Btu/h and above | 13.8 SEER2, 11.2 EER2 |
| Split heat pump (national std.) | any | 14.3 SEER2, 7.5 HSPF2 |
U.S. Department of Energy regional standards guidance; 10 CFR 430.32(c)(6). The EER2 threshold on the under-45,000-Btu/h tier drops to 9.8 for models certified at 15.2 SEER2 or higher.
Enforced at installation, not manufacture
THE CATCHSince 1 January 2023, equipment that meets only the base national standard — not the Southeast regional one — may still be manufactured, but it “may no longer be installed in the SE or SW region” per DOE guidance. A narrow exception at 10 CFR 429.102(c)(4)(i) allows previously-certified discontinued stock to be installed until depleted. Practically: the install date on the permit is what a Sanford inspection checks against, not the date stamped on the equipment.
What it means for a Sanford quote
IN PRACTICEEvery tonnage row on the replacement cost page assumes the 14.3 SEER2 floor. A quote below that efficiency for new equipment in Sanford is not a bargain — it is equipment that cannot legally be installed here. The refrigerant change happening alongside it.