It mainly means an envelope that keeps hot, humid outside air from infiltrating, combined with an HVAC system sized correctly enough to both cool and dehumidify effectively. It's a different emphasis than cold-climate efficiency, which focuses more heavily on insulation R-value alone.

Spray foam creates both insulation and an air barrier in one application, which can reduce reliance on separate, labor-intensive air-sealing work elsewhere in the build. Whether the added upfront cost is worth it depends on your budget and how much you value the combined performance versus a well-detailed batt-insulated envelope.

It's a code-required test that pressurizes the home and measures how much air leaks through the envelope, with a maximum allowed leakage of 7 air changes per hour under current Florida energy code. If a house fails, the leak points get located and sealed, and the test is repeated — it has to pass before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued.

A tighter envelope and correctly sized HVAC system meaningfully reduce cooling costs compared to a code-minimum build, since air conditioning is the dominant energy use in South Florida homes. The exact savings depend on how far beyond code minimum the home is built and prior usage patterns, so we avoid giving a single universal number.

Both. Impact-rated windows are required for wind protection in most of the tri-county area, but the low-E glazing coatings used in quality impact windows also reduce solar heat gain, functioning as an energy-efficient window on top of meeting hurricane code.

A HERS Index rating is a voluntary, third-party-verified efficiency score that goes beyond the code-minimum blower door test. It's not required, but it gives a documented efficiency number that can support resale value or qualify a home for certain utility rebates.

It's generally worth it — building in adequate roof structural capacity, electrical panel headroom, and rough conduit during initial construction costs relatively little compared to retrofitting those elements into a finished home later if you decide to add solar down the road.

An oversized unit cools the air quickly and shuts off before it's run long enough to properly remove humidity, which leaves a house that feels cold but damp. Correct Manual J load calculations size the equipment to actually match the home's real cooling and dehumidification needs.