What a Higher SEER2 Rating Saves on an FPL Bill: A Worked Example for a Boca Raton Home

How Much Electricity a Florida Home Spends on Cooling

Air conditioning is about 30 percent of the electricity Florida homes use: 33.8 billion kWh for cooling out of 112.8 billion kWh in 2020, our arithmetic on the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey ^{[1] [5]}. Spread across the 7.72 million Florida homes with air conditioning, that is about 4,400 kWh of cooling a year per home, or about 5,100 kWh with the air handler fan counted ^[2].

The 4,400 figure is the base for every dollar amount in this guide, and it is an average. EIA counts 8.06 million housing units in Florida using 13,990 kWh a year each ^[5]. The percentage a higher SEER2 saves holds at any size. The dollars scale with the kWh.

Cooling degree days are the weather side of the same number. A day with a mean temperature of 85 F counts as 20 cooling degree days above the 65 F base. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for West Palm Beach International, the closest long-record station to Boca Raton, total 4,165.5 cooling degree days a year against 201.8 heating degree days ^[8]. May through October carry about 72 percent of the cooling total, 2,979 of 4,166, our arithmetic on the monthly normals ^[9]. So about 72 percent of any SEER2 saving lands on those six bills, when a Florida home is most likely to cross FPL's 1,000 kWh line into the higher tier ^[3].

What SEER2 Measures and What the Southeast Minimum Is

SEER2 is the seasonal energy efficiency ratio measured under the U.S. Department of Energy test procedure in force since January 1, 2023: the cooling a system delivers over a season, divided by the electricity it uses. In Florida, a new split-system air conditioner below 45,000 Btu per hour must be at least 14.3 SEER2, and 13.8 SEER2 at or above that size ^[4]. ENERGY STAR certification starts at 15.2 SEER2 ^[6].

The DOE puts Florida in its hot-humid Southeast region, and the rule follows the installation date, not the date the unit was built ^[4].

The SEER number on a 2010 unit is not on the same scale. DOE says so: "Although SEER2, HSPF2, and EER2 ratings are similar to ratings using the original metrics, they are not directly comparable." ^[4] Lennox offers a manufacturer's rule of thumb, that "SEER2 ratings are roughly 4.5% lower than SEER" for the same equipment ^[10]. Use it to orient yourself, not to run the formula.

The Florida floor is not about to rise. DOE's consumer page for central air conditioners and heat pumps, read October 30, 2026, lists test-procedure actions only and no amended residential efficiency standard with a compliance date ^[11]. So 14.3 SEER2 is the floor your quotes are measured against this season.

Get the SEER2 options for your home priced on the same worksheet: call or text Direct Cooling at (561) 210-7605, or start with AC replacement in Boca Raton.

The Worked Example: 14.3 Versus 17 Versus 20 SEER2 on the October 2026 FPL Rate

How much a higher SEER2 saves comes from one ratio. New cooling kWh equals today's cooling kWh, times the old SEER2, divided by the new SEER2. On about 4,400 kWh a year, a 17 SEER2 system uses about 3,700 kWh and a 20 SEER2 system about 3,150 kWh, against 4,400 at 14.3. At FPL's October 2026 first-tier charges of about 12.26 cents per kWh, that saves about $86 and $154 a year before taxes ^[3].

The formula, step by step:

1. Start with your cooling kWh for a year. If you don't know it, use about 30 percent of your annual kWh, or the Florida average of about 4,400 kWh ^{[1] [2]}.
2. Divide the SEER2 you have by the SEER2 you are quoted. For 14.3 to 17 that is 0.84; for 14.3 to 20 it is 0.715.
3. Multiply your cooling kWh by that ratio to get the new cooling kWh. Subtract it from the old figure to get the kWh saved.
4. Price the kWh saved. FPL's RS-1 rate effective October 2026 lists a 7.865 cent base energy charge and a 2.893 cent fuel charge for the first 1,000 kWh, plus conservation, capacity, environmental and storm protection charges and a small transition credit ^[3]. Added up, that is about 12.26 cents per kWh, or about 14.26 cents above 1,000 kWh in a month, our arithmetic.
5. Set the yearly saving next to the price difference between the two quotes, for the years you expect to own the system.

The table is our arithmetic on EIA's 2020 survey ^{[1] [2]} and FPL's October 2026 rate insert ^[3]. Gross receipts tax and local taxes are extra. The higher column applies to kWh above 1,000 in a month.

The savings percentage applies to the cooling share of the bill, not the whole bill. FPL's typical 1,000 kWh residential bill for October 2026 is $136.64, including the base charge, energy, fuel and gross receipts tax ^[12]. Twelve of those bills come to about $1,640 a year ^[12]. The $86 that 17 SEER2 saves is about 5 percent of that; the $154 from 20 SEER2 is about 9 percent, our arithmetic ^[12]. A page promising 30 percent off your whole bill applied the cooling ratio to the refrigerator too.

The sticker is not the saving. The kWh is.

What Changes the Answer: Ducts, Sizing and the Rebate Threshold

Three things move the real saving more than the sticker does. ENERGY STAR says "improper installation can reduce system efficiency by up to 30 percent", more than the whole step from 14.3 to 17 SEER2 saves ^[7]. The size of the home and the number of systems scale the dollars. And FPL's $200 instant rebate starts at 15.2 SEER2, but only through an FPL participating contractor, which Direct Cooling is not ^[13].

A 20 SEER2 system pushing air through ducts that leak into a Florida attic can use more electricity than a 15.2 SEER2 system on sealed ducts. Ask every bidder what the quote does about the ducts. Not the sticker. The ducts.

The home sets the kWh in step 1. In Parkland, the Census puts the median year built at 2006 and 67.2 percent of homes at 2000 or later, so original equipment from that decade is now 17 to 26 years old and due for a first replacement; see AC replacement in Parkland. In ZIP 33496, home to St Andrews Country Club, 16.5 percent of homes have five or more bedrooms, and a house that size may be split between more than one system, which roughly doubles the dollars in the table; see AC service in St Andrews Country Club.

ZIP 33434 in west Boca has a 1983 median build year, and ducts that age deserve a look before anyone talks about 20 SEER2; see AC repair in West Boca Raton. The seven Valencia communities west of Boynton Beach hold 6,043 homes built from 1997 to 2021, many at their first replacement; see AC replacement in Valencia.

The rebate is a one-time $200 ^[13]. FPL's program page requires "A new A/C system purchase, including both indoor and outdoor units", a "SEER2 15.2 rated unit and above", and "Installation completed by one of our FPL-approved PICs" ^[13]. Direct Cooling is not an FPL participating contractor, so a system we install does not qualify, and we say so before you sign. See the FPL rebate threshold for what else is left. Weigh $200 once against $32 to $154 every year you own the system ^{[3] [13]}.

The rate is about to move. FPL told the Florida Public Service Commission on October 30, 2026 that "the typical 1,000-kWh residential customer bill would be $141.87 beginning in January 2027", plus a proposed $3.48 monthly storm surcharge, all pending PSC review ^[14]. A higher price per kWh raises every dollar in the table, and we will rerun it on the January 2027 rate sheet.

How to Read the SEER2 Line on Your Own Quote

The SEER2 on a quote belongs to a matched pair, the outdoor unit and the indoor coil or air handler, certified together by AHRI, the industry body that lists rated combinations. A quote that names a brand and a tonnage but not both model numbers cannot be checked. Ask for the AHRI certificate number, read the SEER2 and EER2 off it, and compare that line across every quote you hold.

That certificate is the efficiency line on your quote in our Palm Beach County quote guide. Manufacturers also publish the range their lines cover. Rheem's Endeavor Line air conditioners run from 13.4 SEER2 up to 20 SEER2, with the Classic Plus RA16AY and RA16AZ rated up to 17 SEER2 ^[15]. American Standard says its air conditioners "range from 13.4 SEER2 up to 23.6 SEER2" ^[16].

Direct Cooling is a Rheem Pro Partner and an American Standard Customer Care Dealer, so these are the two lines we know model by model.

Three moves read the SEER2 line on any quote. First, find both model numbers, outdoor and indoor. Second, ask for the AHRI certificate for that pair and confirm its SEER2 matches the quote. Third, ask what the quote does about ducts and sizing, since installation alone can move the result by up to 30 percent ^[7].

Permits are a separate line: see permits and tie-down rules in Broward and Palm Beach County.

The Short Answer for Your Quote

In Boca Raton, on FPL's October 2026 rate and the average Florida cooling load, 17 SEER2 saves about $86 a year and 20 SEER2 about $154 against the 14.3 SEER2 minimum, before taxes; 15.2 SEER2 saves about $32 ^[3]. Put your own kWh into step 1 and the table changes with it. Then set that yearly figure next to the price difference between the two quotes.

Our view: in a house with its original 2000s ducts, a quote that spends the difference on duct sealing and a proper load calculation is often the better buy than a higher sticker. For what the thermostat setting does to the same bill, see what the thermostat setting costs.

Direct Cooling is a Florida Certified Air Conditioning Contractor, license CAC1819111, based in Boca Raton. Call or text (561) 210-7605 to have the SEER2 options for your home priced on the same worksheet, or start with our replacement page.