SEER2, the Southeast minimums and the new refrigerants, without the jargon
The rating on a new air conditioner changed names, the test got harder, and Florida sits in a region with its own minimums. Here's what that means at the estimate.
What changed, in one paragraph
Until the end of 2022, air conditioners were rated by SEER, the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. Since January 2023 they’re rated by SEER2. The idea is the same, cooling delivered over a season divided by electricity used, but the test is run against more airflow resistance, closer to what a real duct system imposes. The same machine scores a little lower under SEER2 than it did under SEER. Alongside the new test came new regional minimums, and Florida sits in the Southeast region, which has stricter rules than the North.
Why the test got harder
The old SEER test measured the system with very little resistance in the ductwork, which flattered equipment. Real houses have long duct runs, filters, bends and registers, and the blower has to push against all of it. SEER2 testing raises the static pressure the blower works against to something more like a real installation. For a homeowner that means the number on a new label is more honest about what the system will do in an attic in Palatka in July, not what it does on a lab bench.
The Southeast minimums, and why they bite harder here
The federal rules split the country into regions. Florida, with the rest of the Southeast, has to meet a higher minimum for central air conditioners than the northern states, and, crucially, the rule applies to the installation date, not the manufacture date. A contractor in the North could install leftover lower-rated stock after the deadline; a contractor in Florida could not. So the minimum for a split-system air conditioner under 45,000 Btu per hour in this territory is 14.3 SEER2, and 13.8 SEER2 above that size. Heat pumps carry a national minimum of 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2.
In plain terms: equipment that would have been a mid-range choice ten years ago is now below the floor and can’t be put in your house. The entry point has moved up, and so has what an entry-level system does for a power bill.
HSPF2 and the inland markets
SEER2 measures cooling. HSPF2 measures how efficiently a heat pump heats. For Palm Coast or St. Augustine, heating amounts to a handful of weeks each winter and HSPF2 barely moves the bill. For Lake City, Live Oak and Gainesville, with more genuine freeze nights, a heat pump’s heating efficiency and its behavior near freezing are worth looking at as closely as its cooling rating. Cook’s quotes in the inland markets carry both numbers for that reason.
The refrigerant change, briefly
A separate federal rule phased the manufacture of new residential systems off R-410A at the start of 2025 in favor of lower-global-warming-potential refrigerants, chiefly R-454B and R-32, and the window for installing leftover R-410A systems has since closed. New equipment Cook’s installs now uses the newer refrigerants. Your existing R-410A system is not affected: it can be serviced and recharged for years. What it means is that a new system is on a new platform, and the technicians have been trained on the handling and leak-detection requirements that come with it.
How Cook’s reads the numbers at an estimate
Jerry’s proposal lists SEER2, and for a heat pump HSPF2, for each option. The useful comparison is against the system being replaced. A mid-2000s unit was typically rated 10 to 13 SEER under the old test, which is lower still in SEER2 terms. The gap between that and a new minimum-efficiency system is substantial; the gap between a new minimum and a new premium is real but smaller, and whether it pays depends on run hours, the house and how long you’ll own it. We’ll show the ratings and let the arithmetic be yours. Utility programs may add a rebate on the higher tiers; the federal tax credit does not; Washington’s 25C credit lapsed after the 2025 tax year, so a 2026 install gets none of it.
What ENERGY STAR adds
ENERGY STAR is a label, not a rule; it marks equipment that clears a bar above the federal minimum. Cook’s installs ENERGY STAR equipment and will point out which quoted options carry it, because it’s also the label some rebate and credit programs key on.
Efficiency rule questions
Is my existing lower-rated system now illegal to run?
No. The rules govern what can be newly installed, not what’s already in your house. An older system can be run and repaired for as long as it makes sense to repair it.
What's the lowest efficiency I can buy in Florida now?
Florida is in the Southeast region, where a new split-system air conditioner under 45,000 Btu per hour must be at least 14.3 SEER2, and larger ones at least 13.8 SEER2. Heat pumps are 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2 nationwide. Equipment below that can’t be installed here regardless of when it was built.
Is a higher SEER2 worth more on the coast or inland?
It’s worth more wherever the run hours are longest, which is everywhere in this territory from April to October. The inland markets add real heating hours in winter, which is where the heat pump’s HSPF2 rating starts to matter alongside SEER2.
How do SEER2 and the new refrigerants connect?
They’re separate rules that landed close together. SEER2 is about efficiency testing; the refrigerant change is about global warming potential. New systems sold now meet the SEER2 minimum and use a low-GWP refrigerant such as R-454B or R-32. A quote from Cook’s will show both on the equipment.
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