What would a higher-SEER system actually save you?
Enter your current unit and the one you’re considering. This estimator uses Florida Power & Light’s January 2026 residential rate and handles the SEER / SEER2 scale change correctly — which most calculators don’t.
Moving a 3-ton system from SEER 10 to SEER2 16 cuts roughly 3,510 kWh a year.
Cumulative savings
| Period | kWh avoided | Saved |
|---|
Held at today’s rate. Florida regulators approved a four-year FPL rate plan in November 2025, so real savings are likelier to run above these figures than below.
Why SEER and SEER2 aren’t the same number
This is the part almost every savings calculator gets wrong, and it works against you.
In 2023 the federal test procedure changed. SEER2 measures the same equipment against tougher conditions, so the same air conditioner earns a lower number on the SEER2 scale — the conversion factor is 0.95. When the federal minimum for the South moved from SEER 14, it landed at SEER2 13.4, not 14.
So a unit badged SEER2 16 is equivalent to SEER 16.8 — genuinely better than an old SEER 16 unit, not worse.
Rebates and credits in 2026
Some of what’s still published online expired at the end of last year. Here’s where things actually stand.
Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit
No longer available. The credit applied to qualifying property placed in service on or before 31 December 2025. A central air conditioner installed in 2026 does not qualify. Be sceptical of any contractor still advertising it.
Air conditioning rebate
Per qualifying unit, for an active FPL residential account. Requires SEER2 at least one point above the current federal minimum, a full replacement of existing cooling equipment, and installation by a licensed Florida contractor. Program standards effective 1 September 2025.
Want the real number for your house?
An estimate can’t see your ductwork, insulation or how you actually run the thermostat. We’ll measure it and quote it — free, with no overtime fees.
Sources and method
Method. Annual kWh = (tons × 12,000 BTU ÷ efficiency rating) × run-time hours ÷ 1,000. Both ratings are normalised to the SEER scale before comparison, dividing any SEER2 value by 0.95.
- Electricity rate — FPL RS-1 residential tariff effective January 2026: energy 8.865¢ above 1,000 kWh, plus fuel 2.893¢, storm protection 0.995¢, environmental 0.345¢, conservation 0.148¢, capacity 0.052¢, less a 0.040¢ transition credit = 13.258¢/kWh. FPL rates and tariffs
- SEER2 conversion — factor of 0.95 for ducted split and packaged systems, per RESNET MINHERS Addendum 71f.
- Federal tax credit — IRS, Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit. Applies to property placed in service before 31 December 2025.
- FPL rebate — FPL Residential HVAC Program Standards, effective 1 September 2025.
- Run-time hours — not sourced. No public dataset gives equivalent full-load cooling hours for Sarasota, so 2,400 is an informed midpoint and the range reflects 1,800–2,800. This is the largest source of uncertainty in the result.