AC replacement quote checklist for Lake Mary homeowners

Full model number of the outdoor unit (condenser or heat pump).Not the marketing series name. The model number is what an AHRI lookup needs.

Full model number of the indoor coil and of the air handler or furnace.Three numbers, not one.

The AHRI reference number for that exact matched combination.A rating only holds for the combination it was certified as. A mixed match does not carry the number on the brochure.

Nominal tonnage, per system.

SEER2, and HSPF2 if it is a heat pump.Florida sits in the DOE Southeast region: 14.3 SEER2 minimum for split systems under 45,000 Btu/h, 13.8 SEER2 at 45,000 and above. Split heat pumps follow the national standard, 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2.

Which refrigerant the new system uses — R-410A, R-454B or R-32.New equipment has been shipping on R-454B and R-32 since the 700-GWP manufacture and import date of 1 January 2025. R-454B is A2L, mildly flammable, which changes line-set and leak-detection requirements.

Was a Manual J load calculation performed on THIS house?Ask for the printout. “The old one was a three-ton” is not a load calculation — it repeats whatever the last contractor guessed.

Does the calculation account for the glass wall onto the lanai?44.5% of houses in the City of Lake Mary tax district have a pool, the highest share of the seven Seminole County cities measured. Pool houses are usually the ones with the big sliding-glass span, and glass is load.

Is latent (moisture) load broken out from sensible (temperature) load?Oversizing is the classic Central Florida mistake. A system too large cools fast, shuts off, never runs long enough to dehumidify, and produces a cold, clammy house.

If the house has more than one system, is each one sized separately?Common on Heathrow Woods estate homes, where two or three air handlers is normal.

What is the condition and approximate age of the supply and return ducts?The median City of Lake Mary house was built in 1996 and a quarter were built in 1988 or earlier. Attic duct systems of that vintage are past typical service life.

Was total external static pressure measured before quoting?

Was duct leakage tested, and what was the result?

Is the return sized for the new equipment’s airflow?An undersized return will strangle a new, higher-airflow system and void the efficiency you paid for.

Line by line: which ducts are being replaced, which reused, which sealed.

Is a mechanical permit included in the quoted price?Under Florida Building Code 105.2 the mechanical exemptions cover portable and window units, portable evaporative coolers, small self-contained refrigeration, and parts replacement that does not alter the approval. A split-system changeout is none of those.

Which authority — City of Lake Mary, or Seminole County?A “Lake Mary, FL 32746” mailing address does not tell you. Heathrow and Heathrow Woods are unincorporated and file with the county.

Who pulls it — the contractor, under their own licence?If a contractor asks the homeowner to pull an owner-builder permit for an air-conditioning changeout, stop and ask why.

Which inspections will be called, and is final inspection included?Inside the city the codes are published: M412 Final Mechanical, and M413 refrigerant piping test if the line set is replaced.

Is final payment held until the permit is closed out?

Parts warranty: how many years, and on which components?

Compressor warranty: how many years?It is often longer than the parts term, and often quoted as if the two were the same thing.

Labour warranty: how many years, and who honours it — the contractor or a third party?This is the line that differs most between quotes and is the easiest one to leave vague.

Does the manufacturer’s warranty require online registration, and by when?Register it anyway — but know that under s. 559.957, Fla. Stat. an HVAC warranty runs from the date of installation by a Florida-licensed contractor and may not be conditioned on the owner returning a registration card. If a salesperson tells you the term halves without registration, that is not Florida law.

What voids it? Get the maintenance requirement in writing.

Has a Duke Energy Home Energy Check been completed within the last 24 months?Duke requires a free Home Energy Check completed within the previous 24 months to qualify for ANY Home Energy Improvement rebate. Replace the system first and apply afterwards and it is denied. For an emergency replacement Duke allows the check within 12 months after installation.

Which rebate tier is this equipment being quoted against, and what does it require?The tiers turn on SEER2/HSPF2 thresholds and on what heat type is being replaced.

Is the contractor’s Florida licence number printed on the proposal?s. 489.119(5)(b), Fla. Stat.: the certification number “shall appear in each offer of services, business proposal, bid, contract, or advertisement, regardless of medium.” If it is missing from the quote, that is a compliance signal, not a typo.

Is the price itemised — equipment, labour, permit fee, duct work, extras?One lump sum makes three quotes impossible to compare, which is sometimes the point.

What is the payment schedule, and how much is due before work starts?

Is the line set being reused, replaced, or flushed?Reusing a line set from a failed compressor without a proper flush or a replacement can carry contamination into the new system.

New electrical disconnect and whip at the outdoor unit?

New condensate drain, secondary drain and float switch?In an attic air handler this is the difference between a service call and a ceiling.

New equipment pad, and hurricane strapping or tie-downs?Seminole County is NOT in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone — the HVHZ is Broward and Miami-Dade only — but the mounting still has to meet code.

Thermostat: included, and is it compatible with a variable-speed system?

Old equipment and refrigerant removal and haul-away included?

If the condenser is moving, does the HOA need to approve it first?Heathrow’s roughly 30 sub-developments set screening and pad rules at the sub-HOA level, not community-wide.