AC replacement and installation in Jacksonville

A replacement quote on the First Coast in 2026 carries four numbers that were not on a quote three years ago: a SEER2 rating against a federal floor of 14.3, a refrigerant that is R-454B or R-32 unless the unit was built before 2025, a utility rebate that depends on whose name is on the electric bill, and a federal tax credit that no longer exists. Then the local ones: a mechanical permit through the City or your beach city or county, a Notice of Commencement at $15,000, and, on the river or the ocean, an elevation.

Ask for the quote in writing with the equipment model numbers, the AHRI reference, the refrigerant, the permit, and which rebate they intend to file.

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What goes in the box

The federal rules that decide the equipment.

• SEER2: the Southeast minimum since January 1, 2023 is 14.3 SEER2 for a split system under 45,000 Btu/h, 13.8 at 45,000 and above; a split heat pump needs 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2. Utility rebates start above the floor (JEA at 16 SEER2; Clay Electric, Beaches Energy and FPL at their own tiers).
• Refrigerant: components for new residential systems could not be built with refrigerants above 700 GWP after January 1, 2025, so new equipment uses R-454B (Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Rheem among others) or R-32 (Daikin, Goodman, Amana among others). An EPA rule effective July 27, 2026 lets contractors install R-410A units built or imported before 2025 until stocks run out. Both are legitimate; the quote must say which, because the new refrigerants are mildly flammable and need matched equipment and leak-detection parts.
• Sizing: Florida's energy code sizes equipment from a Manual J load calculation with Manual S selection, without safety factors. Ask for the load calculation instead of matching the old tonnage; Clay Electric requires it for its loans and every good contractor does it anyway.
• The federal Section 25C credit ended for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. A sales sheet that still lists it is out of date.

The permit, the NOC, and the river

The local rules that decide the job.

• City of Jacksonville: heating and air-conditioning work is permitted work done by contractors certified in the trade, filed on JaxEPICS under the contractor's license; the 2026 $7,500 permit exemption excludes mechanical work. Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, St. Johns County, Clay County, Nassau County, St. Augustine and Fernandina Beach issue their own.
• A Notice of Commencement is required at $15,000 for the repair or replacement of an existing heating or air-conditioning system, against $5,000 for other work (§713.135). Most change-outs are under it; if yours is not, the contractor records it before the first inspection.
• Wind: the outdoor unit is anchored to the code's design wind for the site; ask to see the tie-down on the quote.
• Flood: Jacksonville's design flood elevation is two feet above the base flood elevation, and the building code puts replacement exterior equipment damaged by flood at or above the required elevation. A condenser that sat in Irma's water on the river, or Matthew's at the Beaches, comes back on a platform, permitted, and the quote should say so.

Whose bill, which rebate

JEA (Duval, Atlantic Beach, parts of St. Johns, Clay and Nassau): ENERGY STAR-certified central AC, heat pump or ductless mini-split, 16 SEER2 on JEA's application form (JEA's web page adds 8.0 HSPF2 for heat pumps), application within 90 days of installation per the application form (the form and JEA's web page currently show different program years and criteria, so confirm both with JEA before counting on it), two per product type per address every seven years. Beaches Energy (Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach, Palm Valley): two tiers at SEER 15 and SEER 16 or higher, existing homes only, paperwork within 90 days. Clay Electric (Middleburg, Lake Asbury, parts of Fleming Island, Oakleaf and the Westside): a bill credit for a heat pump at 15.2 SEER2 or higher, 12,000 to 60,000 BTU, with the AHRI certificate and before-and-after photos, within 180 days. FPL (St. Augustine, Nocatee, Yulee, mainland Nassau): an instant rebate on the invoice for a complete system at 15.2 SEER2 or higher through a Participating Independent Contractor. Fernandina Beach is FPU; ask.

Amounts are on each utility's page and change by program year; this site does not quote them. The contractor usually files the form; ask them to, and get the AHRI certificate for your own records either way.