AC Installation in Orlando: Sizing, Permits, Refrigerants and Rebates

A new air conditioner in Orlando is a regulated purchase. A federal rule sets the minimum efficiency, another decides which refrigerants new equipment may use, the state licenses the installer and requires the system to be sized from a calculation, and the City of Orlando or Orange County issues a permit and inspects the result. Each of those is also a check you can use to tell a careful installation from a quick one.

This page covers when replacement makes sense, how a system should be sized for a humid climate, what the ratings and the refrigerant rules mean, which office issues the permit for your address, what an inspector looks at, the utility rebates, the federal tax credit that has ended, and the paperwork around a deposit.

Air Conditioning Repair Orlando is a referral service, not a contractor, and it does not sell or fit equipment. Callers are connected with an independent contractor who installs air conditioning in Orlando, and it is that contractor who measures the house, proposes the system, applies for the permit and does the installation.

When replacing makes more sense than repairing

ENERGY STAR’s signs that it may be time include these four: the air conditioner or heat pump is more than 10 years old, it needs frequent repairs while the bills rise, the home has humidity problems, or the system is noisy. In Orlando two more questions sharpen the decision.

• Which refrigerant is in it? No new R-22 has been made or imported since January 1, 2020, so a major leak on an R-22 system is refilled from a supply that only shrinks.
• Has the house ever felt dry? A system that has always left the rooms clammy may have been the wrong size from the start. A repair restores it to the wrong size. A replacement is the chance to correct it.

If only the outdoor unit has failed, the federal rules allow replacing that half alone: the EPA says owners may keep repairing existing systems, including replacing a major component like a condensing unit. Whether it is wise depends on the age of the indoor coil and on whether the pair will carry a matched rating. A utility rebate can turn on that too. OUC’s heat pump rebate page has asked for an invoice listing both the indoor and the outdoor model numbers with a matching AHRI certificate, and Duke Energy’s has required the condensing unit and the air handler to be changed at the same time. For help deciding, see air conditioning repair in Orlando.

Sizing: the decision that controls humidity

Capacity is measured in tons, and Florida’s own statutes treat 3 tons and 36,000 Btu as the same thing, which makes a ton 12,000 Btu per hour. The natural assumption is that more is safer. In a humid climate it is the opposite. University of Florida extension explains that an over-sized air conditioner cools a home too quickly to remove moisture well, and the result is a house that is cool but clammy.

Florida’s energy code does not leave the size to judgment. It says heating and cooling equipment shall be sized from loads calculated in accordance with ACCA Manual J or another approved method, and it does not allow safety factors or provisions for future expansion to be added. For cooling-only equipment the code caps the capacity at 1.15 times the calculated load, or the closest size the manufacturer makes, and requires the equipment’s moisture-removing capacity to cover the calculated latent load.

The university’s advice to homeowners matches: do not use a contractor who wants to size your system solely on the square footage of your house. A load calculation, it says, means taking measurements in the house and asking questions, and it takes in more than floor area.

• The square footage
• The windows
• The insulation
• The ductwork
• Which way the building faces, which the energy code names as part of the calculation

The size of the old unit is not evidence. It may have been oversized on the day it went in, and the house may have gained windows, insulation or an addition since. Ask each company how it arrived at its figure and whether you can see the calculation.

Ducts are part of the sizing

New equipment on old ducts inherits their faults. The University of Florida’s duct guidance says typical duct systems lose up to 40 percent of the energy put into them and notes that the Florida Building Code requires ducts to be sized and designed to recognized standards such as ACCA Manual D. A replacement quote should say what was found in the attic and what will be done about it: sealed, repaired, resized or left as it is. Our page on HVAC in Orlando explains ducts and humidity in more depth.

Choosing the equipment

Straight cool or heat pump

A straight cool system heats with electric strips. A heat pump heats by moving heat, and ENERGY STAR says it can deliver up to three times more heat energy than the electricity it uses. Orlando’s winters are mild enough that either works, and OUC and Duke Energy both direct their rebates toward heat pumps. Ask for a price on each.

How it handles humidity

Moisture is removed while the coil is cold and the system is running, so equipment that runs for longer stretches dries a house better than equipment that starts and stops. University of Florida guidance adds a caution about efficiency labels: a high SEER rating does not by itself take care of humidity, and the contractor needs to estimate the humidity load accurately. Ask for the moisture removal figures for the model proposed, not only its efficiency rating.

The minimum the law allows

Federal regulations place Florida in the Southeast region, where the standard for air conditioners applies by the date of installation. A split-system air conditioner installed here on or after January 1, 2023 must be at least 14.3 SEER2 if it is under 45,000 Btu per hour and 13.8 SEER2 if it is larger. Split-system heat pumps have a national standard that applies by the date of manufacture: 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, for units made on or after January 1, 2023. Florida’s energy code makes the same point from its side, requiring new or replacement equipment to meet the federal minimum for the place where it is installed. Equipment at the minimum is legal. The utilities have asked for a higher rating before paying a rebate.

The refrigerant in a new system

Under the EPA’s Technology Transitions rules, a new residential air conditioning or heat pump system may not use a refrigerant with a global warming potential of 700 or more. The installation compliance date was January 1, 2025. R-410A, the refrigerant of the previous generation, is listed by the EPA at 2,088, well over the limit. The substitutes the EPA names, R-454B and R-32, are listed at 465 and 675.

One part of those rules has changed, and a summary written earlier may be out of date. An interim rule of December 2023 gave installers until January 1, 2026 to fit higher-rated equipment, R-410A systems included, that had been made or imported before January 1, 2025. A final rule published in the Federal Register on May 26, 2026, and effective July 27, 2026, removed that installation deadline. In the rule’s own summary, it allows the inventory of residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump equipment that was manufactured in or imported into the United States before January 1, 2025 to continue to be installed.

So a contractor may lawfully offer you a new R-410A system from older stock. It is a fair option to weigh, with one thing in mind: national production and consumption of these refrigerants is being phased down, to 60 percent of the baseline for 2024 through 2028 and 30 percent for 2029 through 2033, and the EPA cautions that their availability may lessen over time. Ask which refrigerant each quote uses and when the equipment was made.

Ask, too, what happens to the copper lines between the two units. Whether they are replaced or reused, the City of Orlando’s paperwork, described below, expects them to be tested before the job is signed off.

Permits: the City of Orlando or Orange County

The Florida Building Code requires a permit to install, alter or replace a mechanical system. The small-job exemption in section 553.79(1)(g) of the Florida Statutes does not change that, because it does not apply to mechanical work. Which office issues the permit depends on which side of the city limits the house stands, and an Orlando mailing address does not settle it. The two offices are separate, and each column below comes from that office’s own pages.

Detail	Inside the city limits	Unincorporated Orange County
Office	City of Orlando Permitting Services, City Hall, 400 South Orange Avenue, first floor	Orange County Division of Building Safety, 201 South Rosalind Avenue, first floor
What it says about AC	Its mechanical permit application has a Repair/Replace type of work and asks for the type of system, the total tons and the total heating kilowatts, with a box for the SEER2 rating	A mechanical permit is needed for all permanently installed air conditioning and heating equipment. Plug-in and portable units do not need one
Who applies	The contractor, who must first file a state license, a business tax receipt and proof of workers’ compensation insurance with the City	A licensed contractor, within the scope of its license, or a homeowner for a primary residence who completes an Owner-Builder Verification
Inspection	The City says a permit that stays open six months without an inspection expires, and that a permit is final once its inspections are passed	At least a final inspection must be passed. The required inspections are listed on the back of the inspection record card

Neither office covers the cities around Orlando. Winter Park, Maitland, Apopka, Altamonte Springs and Kissimmee are separate cities, so ask that city which office issues its permits. Orange County also notes that residents of the City of Edgewood need that city’s approval before applying to the County. If you are not sure where your address falls, ask the contractor who will apply, or ask the City’s Permitting Services whether the address is inside the city limits.

Two smaller points from the City’s application. A Notice of Commencement, the recorded notice many construction jobs need, is not required to repair or replace an existing heating or air conditioning system for less than $15,000. And equipment the owner buys separately must be included in the stated cost of the job. The City’s permits page and the County’s permit guide carry the current details.

What the inspector looks at

The City of Orlando reviews an application under the edition of the Florida Building Code in force when it is filed, including the mechanical and energy volumes. The points below are from the mechanical volume of the 8th Edition (2023). They apply to an ordinary residential change-out, and each is something you can look at yourself once the installers have gone.

• The pad. Equipment at ground level must sit on a level concrete slab or other approved base at least 3 inches above the surrounding grade, or be suspended at least 6 inches above it.
• Wind. Outdoor equipment and its supports must be installed to resist the wind pressures set by the building code.
• Flood zones. In a flood hazard area, equipment must be at or above the elevation the building code requires, or be designed and installed to keep water out.
• The drain. Condensate must run to an approved place of disposal, and where an overflow could damage the building one of four overflow protections is required, such as a second pan with its own drain or a device that shuts the system off.
• Attic access. An attic unit needs an opening and a clear passageway large enough to remove the largest appliance: at least 30 inches high and 22 inches wide, with solid flooring at least 24 inches wide, and no more than 20 feet long.
• The refrigerant lines. See the next section.

The pressure test and the vacuum test

The City of Orlando has a Mechanical Inspection Affidavit, signed before a notary, in which a contractor, engineer, architect or owner-builder states that the refrigerant piping was tested to ASHRAE Standard 15.2. The form spells the test out. The piping is pressurized for at least 60 minutes and must show no loss of pressure. Then it is pumped down to a vacuum of 500 microns, isolated from the pump, and must not rise above 1,500 microns within 10 minutes.

Those two tests are how an installer shows the piping is tight before the system is put into service. Whichever office issues your permit, ask the installer to write the test pressure, the duration and the final micron reading on your invoice.

Installation day, in order

No two installers work to the same script, but a change-out covers roughly this ground. Ask yours to walk you through it before the day.

1. Floors and the route to the air handler are protected.
2. A certified technician recovers the refrigerant from the old system. Federal rules prohibit venting it.
3. The old outdoor unit and air handler are disconnected and taken away.
4. The pad is checked or replaced, and the new outdoor unit is set on it and fastened.
5. The new air handler or coil goes in, with its drain pan, drain line and overflow protection.
6. The refrigerant lines are connected, pressure tested and evacuated.
7. The ducts are joined to the new equipment and sealed, along with whatever duct repairs the quote included.
8. Power and thermostat wiring are connected.
9. The system is charged and started, and the installer records the readings.
10. You are shown the filter, the thermostat, the drain cleanout and the breaker, and given the model and serial numbers.
11. The inspection is booked. Keep the permit number.

Ask in advance how long the house will be without cooling, and plan the day around it if anyone at home is elderly or unwell.

Historic districts and equipment in view

Orlando has six historic preservation districts: Downtown, Lake Cherokee, Lake Copeland, Lake Eola Heights, Lake Lawsona and Colonialtown South. Changes to the outside of a property in one of them need a Certificate of Appropriateness. The City lists mechanical systems among the items handled by minor review, which carries no fee. Before an outdoor unit is moved to a new spot, or a mini split is hung on a wall that faces the street, ask the City’s Historic Preservation office. Outside those districts, a neighborhood association may have its own rules on where equipment sits.

Utility rebates from OUC and Duke Energy

Both utilities run rebate programs for heating and cooling work, and both change the amounts and the qualifying conditions from time to time. This section names the programs and the kind of condition each has carried, and leaves the figures and the current terms to the utilities’ own pages. Your electric bill shows which one serves you.

OUC

• Heat pump rebate. OUC lists it as A/C Heat Pump. It is for OUC electric customers who install a heat pump above a minimum SEER2 rating that OUC sets. OUC has asked for an invoice that lists the indoor and outdoor model numbers, with an AHRI certificate that matches them, and it pays its rebates as a credit on the bill.
• Duct Repair and Replacement rebate. For sealing or replacing leaking ducts. OUC’s conditions have specified how the ducts are to be sealed.
• Ceiling Insulation rebate. Worth pricing together with a new system, since insulation is part of the load calculation.
• Efficiency Delivered. A program for efficiency upgrades, with the option of spreading payments on the utility bill.

Duke Energy

• The audit is the gate. Duke makes a free Home Energy Check, with a qualifying recommendation, a condition of its home improvement rebates. Do it early, and read Duke’s page for how the timing works.
• HVAC replacement. Duke has separate categories for replacing electric strip heat with a heat pump, replacing an existing heat pump, and replacing an air conditioner, each with a minimum rating above the federal floor.
• Duct test and repair, and attic insulation, are on the same list.

Read the current terms on OUC’s rebates page and Duke Energy’s home improvement rebates page, and ask each contractor which utility’s paperwork it handles.

The federal tax credit has ended

A federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit used to help pay for efficient air conditioners and heat pumps, and sales pages that still promote it are out of date. The IRS page on the credit says: “You can claim the credit for improvements made through December 31, 2025.” A system installed after that date does not qualify. If a quote counts on a federal credit, ask the company to show you the IRS page, and confirm your own position with a tax professional.

National cost figures for a new system

We do not set prices, and a real figure needs a contractor in the house. The only figures on this page are national ones from HomeAdvisor. Its cost guide for installing an AC unit, which it dates June 17, 2026, gives an average of $5,978 across the country and a normal range of $3,887 to $8,073, and says new ductwork can add $1,000 to $5,000. The guide’s own text ties that average to 2024. These are HomeAdvisor’s national figures, not what an Orlando contractor will charge, and not a quote.

What moves a quote is easy to list: capacity, the efficiency rating, heat pump or straight cool, how much duct work is included, how hard the air handler is to reach, any electrical work, and the permit. Two quotes that differ by thousands are usually describing different jobs, so compare them line by line.

Deposits, contracts and the installer’s license

Florida law ties a duty to a large deposit. A contractor who takes more than 10 percent of the contract price up front on a home must apply for the permits within 30 days and start work within 90 days after they are issued, unless there is just cause or you agreed in writing to wait longer. Write the date of any payment on your copy of the contract.

The contract should carry the company’s state license number, which Florida requires on every proposal and contract. Looking that number up takes a few minutes, and our page on choosing an HVAC company in Orlando walks through it. Once the system is running, a yearly visit looks after it: see AC service in Orlando.

Old houses and new neighborhoods

Installation is a different job in different parts of the city. In a 1920s bungalow in Lake Cherokee, or one of the early houses of Lake Eola Heights, the questions are where an air handler can go, whether the existing ducts are worth keeping, and whether a room without ducts would be better served by a mini split. In Baldwin Park, where the first buildings date from 2003, and in Lake Nona, the houses are newer and the first question is usually the age of the equipment.

In College Park, Delaney Park, Audubon Park or Dover Shores, tell the contractor the age of the house and where the present equipment sits, and expect the visit to include the attic.

Your questions, answered