Osceola County energy calcs & Manual J.
Master plans from the 7th Edition expired. Kissimmee and St. Cloud permit their own.
Osceola County reviews residential plans in three to five days when they meet minimum code, and puts deficient sets on hold until corrections are re-reviewed. Every master plan approved under the 7th Edition expired on December 31, 2023, so builders must refile models under the 8th. Osceola is zone 2A, with 91°F cooling and 42°F heating design limits.
- Department
- Osceola County Building Officeunincorporated · permits.osceola.org1
- Code edition
- FBC Energy Conservation, 8th Ed. (2023)9th Ed. (2026) scheduled for Dec 31, 2026 · what changes2
- Climate zone
- Zone 2A1% cooling 91°F · 99% heating 42°F3
- Price
- $195 · $445 · $595Energy calc from · full package · sealed. Same in all 67 counties · price list
- Ready by
- 2–3 business daysExpedited: within 24 business hours, +$150. Clock starts when complete plans pass intake (3:00 PM ET cutoff) · how it works
- Evidence
- 7 primary sourcesEvery number on this page links to its source · references
What Osceola reviewers ask for
Osceola's Building Office says a residential plan set takes three to five days to review and process if it meets minimum code; when it doesn't, reviewers put the project on hold and ask for corrections, and approval waits until the corrected set is re-reviewed by every department involved.1 For an energy calc, that means a missing signature or a mismatched area costs more than a day.
The rest of the Osceola submittal notes2 more paragraphs
Builders working from models should know the master-plan rule. Every master plan approved under the 7th Edition (2020) codes expired on December 31, 2023 and can't be used for further permitting; new 8th Edition master plans must be approved first.1 Master filing lets a typical building be reviewed once and built repeatedly, so each model's energy calc and Manual J should be built to survive orientation changes.1
The county also states that it enforces no local ordinance changing the 2023 Florida Building Code, so the statewide energy chapter applies as written.1 Inspectors expect the 'Reviewed for Code Compliance' stamped plans on site.1
Building departments
1 department · addresses, phones, portals
The county's own records FAQ tells applicants to check whether a property falls inside the City of Kissimmee or the City of St. Cloud first, because those cities run their own Building & Permitting offices.1 St. Cloud has its own page; for Kissimmee, use the city's own building page.
| Department | Address | Phone | Portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osceola County Building Office (unincorporated) | 1 Courthouse Square, Suite 1400, Kissimmee, FL 34741 | 407-742-0200 | permits.osceola.org1 |
Design conditions
91°F cooling · 42°F heating · zone 2A · weather stations
Cooling station: Melbourne Regional Airport (Manual J). Heating station: Orlando International Airport (Manual J).3
Osceola's limits come from two different stations: 91°F cooling from Melbourne Regional and 42°F heating from Orlando International.3 Zone 2A.2 Two degrees cooler than Orange County's 93°F cooling limit, which on a master-planned model can be the difference between two equipment sizes when the same plan crosses the county line, in our experience.
Worked example
2,900 sq ft house → 33,960 Btu/h, 2.83 tons · illustrative
Illustrative · not a Manual J
A five-bedroom, 2,900 sq ft two-storey model with 16% glazing, the sort of plan a builder files as a master. Because a master is built facing every direction, we'd run the worst orientation for sizing; this simple block estimate ignores orientation entirely, which is exactly why the real Manual J does not.
| House | new two-storey frame model, master-planned community |
|---|---|
| Conditioned area | 2,900 sq ft, 2 storeys, 9 ft ceilings |
| Bedrooms / occupants | 5 / 6 |
| Glazing | 16% of floor area (464 sq ft), U 0.3, SHGC 0.25 |
| Walls / ceiling | R-13 walls, R-38 ceiling under a vented attic |
| Air leakage | 4.5 ACH50 |
| Ducts | in the attic, 7% gain allowance |
| Ventilation | mechanical, per FBC formula |
| Outdoor design | 91°F cooling / 42°F heating (sourced above) |
| Indoor design | 75°F cooling / 70°F heating |
| Design grains difference | 48 gr/lb (assumption) |
Illustrative only. A simplified block-load estimate with the inputs shown, not an ACCA Manual J, and not for permitting. A real calc goes room by room with your plans, orientation and equipment data. Code ceiling for single-stage cooling at 1.15× total load: 39,050 Btu/h.6
Local housing
Median year built 2003 · 62.8% single-family detached · Census ACS
Osceola is young: median year built 2003, 58.1% of units from 2000 or later and only 10.3% before 1980.7 Owner occupancy, 63.4%, is low for a county this new, which tracks the vacation-rental subdivisions around US-192; that link is our inference.7 Single-family detached homes are 62.8%.7
Utility rebates
Duke Energy Florida · OUC
- Duke Energy Florida. Where Duke serves the home, up to $1,000 in HVAC rebates applies ($300 A/C, $500 heat pump), conditional on a Home Energy Check from the last 24 months and a permitted install by a licensed contractor.4
- OUC. OUC customers have a separate heat pump and A/C rebate program; confirm the home is on OUC before you count on it.5
Utility programs change often; check the program page before you count on a rebate.
Osceola County questions
3 answers · Can I still use my 7th Edition master plan in Osceola County?
Can I still use my 7th Edition master plan in Osceola County?
No. Osceola says every master plan approved under the 7th Edition (2020) codes expired on December 31, 2023 and can't be used for further permitting. New master plans that comply with the 8th Edition (2023) must be submitted and approved first, energy calcs and Manual J included.
How long does Osceola County take to review house plans?
Normally three to five days for a residential set that meets minimum code requirements. If reviewers find deficiencies, the project goes on hold until corrections are made and re-reviewed by every department involved, so a clean energy calc and matching areas protect that turnaround.
Is my Kissimmee address permitted by Osceola County?
Only if it's outside city limits. Osceola's Building Office tells applicants to check whether a property sits inside the City of Kissimmee or the City of St. Cloud first, because both cities run their own building and permitting offices. Unincorporated Kissimmee-mailing addresses still go to the county.
Price
One statewide price in all 67 counties. Building departments decide what they accept; we don’t guarantee approval. Revisions for plan-review comments on the same design are free.
Nearby and related
Sources
7 primary references · numbered to match the citations
- 01Osceola County, Building Office Frequent Questionsosceola.org
- 022023 Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation (8th Ed.), Table R301.1, climate zones by countyup.codes
- 03RESNET / ENERGY STAR, Appendix A: HVAC Design Temperature Limits by State and County (v4, 2019). 1% cooling and 99% heating values drawn from the ASHRAE 2013 Handbook of Fundamentals and ACCA Manual J 8th Ed.resnet.us
- 04Duke Energy Florida, Rebate for HVAC Replacementduke-energy.com
- 05OUC, Heat Pump A/C Rebateouc.com
- 06Florida Building Commission, R405-2026 documentation checklist example (quotes R403.7.1.1 cooling equipment sizing limits)floridabuilding.org
- 07U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates (B25018, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25003, B25040), via Census Reportercensusreporter.org