Sorry, I meant to add I live in north Florida

pricing vaires, mary.

you may want to look at trane's sister company
american standard, if trane pricing is too high.
same stuff..different label.

I find 15-17 SEER to be good efficiency.
good savings over minimum efficiency allowed
by law..decent payback period.

pairing 15 SEER (for example) with a
variable speed air handler unit will give
you control over humidity.
this upgrade will cost about $500-$700 depending
on costs in your area. but it is worth every
penny because of removal of humidity that
it provides.

In La. like Fla. high RH(relative humidity)
is what makes us
uncomfortable when summer temps are 90
degrees & RH is 90%.

controling RH to maintain 50% RH is what
makes us comfortable.
when RH is lowered, the air is colder, so t-stat
can be raised and you still be comfortable.

staging the heat strips will save you $$ in
heating season by not engaging full stips
unless needed.
most of the time you'll be using heat of
heat pump, not emergency heat.

while 2 tons for 1,008 sq ft is a lot of
a/c, the cost is the same for 1.5 tons as it
is for 2 tons. at the end of the day...most
companies will sell you 2 tons.

to overcome this oversizing, you need the
ability to slow the air speed, so that
relative humidity is controlled.
thus the variable speed ahu.

I'm in a small home also. Over the years I've learned
a lot about hvac, due to the type of work I do.
when I got ready to put a central system
in my house (980 sq ft) I installed a two ton
heat pump, 15 SEER with a variable
speed air handler, staged heat strips.

in the summer..my utility bills are $60 at hottest
months (aug, sept) winter...$40. don't think
emergency heat has come on this mild winter
at all.

I planned my system to remove humidity, and
have been pleased with the success.
in August my indoor RH was 50-55% even on
rainy days.

having gotten a steal of a deal on a whole house
dehumdifier I can lower RH to 40-45% and turn
temp at tstat higher. If I hadn't gotten the dehumidifier
at such a good price..I'd still be ok, because I
planned to dehumidify with vs air handler.

without dehumidifier RH is still in acceptable range
& comfort is great!
lowering the speed of the air removes more humidity
and air gets colder. cold..in august..heavenly!

don't get hung up on name brands.
for each big name is a sister company with same
equipment with different label.
shop around, get bids that give you
good...13 SEER
better 14 SEER
and best...15-17 SEER bids.
get at least 3 bids, then compare.

tell hvac companies of any issues...excess dust,
hot/cold spots, condensating supply grills etc
while they bid your job.
then share this info with us, & we will advise
you & explain any questions you have.

make sure they know that all ducts are to
be mastic sealed...not duct or foil tape.
duct leakage is a huge problem that isn't
often addressed. if you are paying to condition
the air..it should all come inside the house..
not leak out in unconditioned space.

install trumps brand in my book.
making sure that ducts are mastic sealed,
and in good shape is often over looked
as is the air sealing of return.

I test homes for air leakage & ducts
for duct leakage, so knowing how
much these things leak..and how much
it costs for these leaks..it is a worth while
investment to seal them,
this type of sealing is a quick payback, inexpensive
materials, and noticable improvement to
do these types of sealing.

best of luck.