How much heating and cooling a Florida city asks for
A heat pump heats and cools, so both counts matter. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals give Jacksonville 1227.6 heating and 2803.2 cooling degree days a year, Tallahassee 1472.6 and 2758.2, Orlando 524.9 and 3451.6, Tampa 433.5 and 3928.2, and Fort Myers 268.4 and 3933.3. West Palm Beach has 201.8 and 4165.5, and Miami 103.6 and 4656.0.
One Florida company publishes a price we could count for this job, too few to move the estimate, so it stands as our national figure scaled by 0.88.
Florida heat pump: the estimate, permit fees and rebates
In Florida we put this job at $3,300 to $7,950 per installed heat pump. That's a model, not a quote: one national published cost range, widened by 15 percent each side, adjusted by the Florida wage ratio to the US (0.88), with a typical city or county permit fee added for the work.
For a heat pump we show $3,300 to $7,950 per installed heat pump, an estimate and not a quote, and the rows below hold the wage, permit and rebate evidence.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $3,300 to $7,950 per installed heat pump | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Florida HVAC technician wage ratio (0.88) plus a typical permit fee ($125). Seven Florida HVAC companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: no state company sample (one counted Florida company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Technician wage, Florida mean | $27.55 an hour | What a Florida HVAC technician was paid on average in May 2025 (BLS), not what a heat pump installation costs. |
| Heat pump change-out permit, Florida middle fee | $125 | The middle of equipment-replacement permit totals on 10 Florida schedules; structures differ. |
| Heat pump replacement or installation permit, Miami Gardens | $150 | FY 2026-2027 schedule; a 7.5% residential technology fee is added to each permit. |
| Heat pump A/C rebate, Orlando Utilities Commission | $45 to $1,150 | For systems at 15.2 SEER2 or higher; the amount comes from a SEER2 matrix. |
| Heat pump rebate, Tampa Electric | $40 to $550 by SEER2 | Ducted systems; the application is due within 90 days of installation. |
How we estimate costs: the Estimated range row is a model, not a quote. Only one Florida company publishes a price we could count for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Our national estimate takes one published national range for this job (a cost guide from a third-party site that we have not verified and do not cite) and multiplies it by Florida's HVAC technician mean wage ratio to the US (0.88, BLS OEWS May 2025, heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers) and adds a typical permit fee ($125). The wage and permit rows below are what HVAC technicians are paid and what a city charges, and neither is a price. We have not collected quotes. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.
Heat pump rebates in Florida as of Oct 24, 2026
FPL's A/C rebate takes a straight-cool or heat pump system at SEER2 15.2 or higher, installed by a participating contractor and replacing an electric-driven cooling system, and it comes off the invoice at $200. Tampa Electric lists heat pumps at $40 for SEER2 15.20 and $550 for SEER2 16.20, with geothermal at 14.00 and 15.00 EER. OUC's heat pump A/C rebate runs $45 to $1,150 for systems at 15.2 SEER2 or higher, set by a SEER2 matrix on OUC's site. FPL excludes single-zone mini splits and Tampa Electric excludes ductless mini splits.
Permit fees cities print for heat pump work
Miami Gardens lists heat pump replacement or installation at $150, Coral Springs lists a heat pump at $230 on its electrical list, and Cape Coral's air conditioning change-out line is $100 plus its 2.5% surcharge. Ask the office for your address for its own total.
When a heat pump failure can't wait
- A burning smell or smoke from the outdoor unit or air handler: leave and call 911.
- A gas smell from any gas appliance in the house: go outside and call 911.
- Heating or cooling is weak but the system runs and the house is safe.
Before you pick a heat pump
- Write down your SEER2 target from the rebate page you plan to use.
- Get the company's license number and run it through DBPR's lookup.
- Ask whether the quote includes the permit fee and the rebate paperwork.
Does a heat pump need a permit in Florida?
Lee County's mechanical guide requires a permit to install, alter or replace any HVAC equipment, and Port St. Lucie's checklist asks for plan review on a new mini-split and a duct layout when ducts are replaced. The $7,500 single-family exemption in s.553.79 excludes mechanical work, so it doesn't cover a heat pump swap.
Florida licenses air-conditioning contractors through DBPR, so before any work starts, get the license number and look it up on DBPR's license search at myfloridalicense.com.
Questions people ask
How do heating and cooling days compare across Florida?
Cooling degree days outnumber heating degree days at all seven Florida stations on this page. Miami counts 103.6 heating degree days against 4656.0 cooling, while Tallahassee counts 1472.6 against 2758.2. The rebate finder lists what applies to your address.
Which Florida utility rebates name heat pumps?
FPL, Tampa Electric and OUC. FPL takes straight-cool and heat pump systems, Tampa Electric lists heat pumps, and OUC has a heat pump A/C rebate. Each sets its own SEER2 floor and application window.
Do those rebates cover a ductless system?
FPL and Tampa Electric leave them out. FPL's program excludes single-zone mini splits and Tampa Electric's excludes ductless ones. The mini-split page covers the license question.
Who may install a heat pump in Florida?
A contractor certified or registered in a DBPR air-conditioning class. Class A has no size limit and Class B covers 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in any one system. Look the number up before work begins.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (SOC 49-9021), Florida, mean hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- HVACMatch: how we estimate costs, Florida (editorial policy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Miami Gardens: Building Fee Schedule FY 2026-2027 (PDF) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- OUC: Heat Pump A/C Rebate; Rebates Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Tampa Electric: Heating & Cooling program Read Oct 24, 2026.
- NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal station file Read Oct 24, 2026.
- NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal station file Read Oct 24, 2026.
- NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal station file Read Oct 24, 2026.
- NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal station file Read Oct 24, 2026.
- NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal station file Read Oct 24, 2026.
- NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal station file Read Oct 24, 2026.
- NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal station file Read Oct 24, 2026.
- FPL: A/C Rebate; Residential HVAC Program Standards (Sept 1, 2025) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Coral Springs: Building Fees Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Cape Coral: Miscellaneous Permit Fee Schedule (eff. Jan 1, 2026) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Port St. Lucie: Checklist for Mechanical Permits (Updated 10-2-25) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Lee County: Mechanical Application and Permitting Guide Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes s.553.79 Permits; applications; issuance; inspections (1)(g) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes s.489.105 Definitions Read Oct 24, 2026.
- DBPR: License Search Read Oct 24, 2026.