An electric heat kit — heat strips, strip heat, resistance heat, it goes by all of them — is a bank of coiled elements that slides into a slot in the air handler and warms the air the blower pushes over it. It is the simplest form of heating there is, which is why it is the standard backup in a heat pump and the only heat in a lot of Florida straight-cool systems.
It is also the piece most often left out. Builders and low-bid installers drop it to hit a number, and nobody notices until the first cold night. If your air handler has an empty rectangular slot with a blank cover plate, that is where one goes.
What it costs
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kW kit, supplied and installed | $450–$700 | 1.5–2 ton systems |
| 8–10 kW kit, supplied and installed | $600–$900 | 2.5–3 ton systems |
| 15 kW kit, supplied and installed | $800–$1100 | 3.5–5 ton; often needs two circuits |
| New dedicated circuit from the panel | $350–$900 | Distance and panel condition drive this |
| Panel upgrade | $1,800–$3,500+ | Only when the panel genuinely has no capacity |
| Permit and inspection | $75–$200 | Varies by city and county |
The kit itself is the small part of the bill — roughly $150 to $400 depending on size and whether it includes its own breaker. Labour, the electrical work and the permit are the rest. Anyone quoting dramatically below these numbers is usually skipping the permit, the breaker sizing, or both.
Which size you need
Kits come in 5, 8, 10, 15 and 20 kW. The right size is set by the air handler model — each one is rated for a maximum kit — and by the electrical panel. In Orlando, where we heat for a few weeks a year, we lean toward the smaller end of what the handler allows: a 5 kW kit on a 2-ton system is plenty for a Florida cold snap, draws about 21 amps, and fits on a single 30-amp circuit that most panels can spare. A 15 kW kit draws over 60 amps and frequently needs two circuits, which is where the price climbs.
What the install involves
- 1Confirm the air handler model and its maximum rated heat kit, and check the panel for available capacity.
- 2Pull the permit — required in most Central Florida jurisdictions because the electrical load on the circuit changes.
- 3Install the kit in the factory slot, wire it to the handler control board and sequencer, and run or upgrade the circuit as needed.
- 4Set the thermostat up correctly — on a heat pump, so the strips stage in as auxiliary heat rather than running every time.
- 5Energise and amp-clamp every stage under load, then schedule the inspection.
It is a two-to-four hour job when no panel work is needed, and we do it in one visit.
Is it worth it, or should you replace the air handler?
If the air handler is under twelve years old and otherwise healthy, adding a kit is the right call. If it is older, has a leaking coil, or you are already planning a system replacement, put the money toward a new air handler that ships with the kit factory-installed — the 1.5-ton wall-mount Goodman units we stock come with a 5 kW kit built in, for example. We sell equipment as well as install it, so we will tell you which one makes sense rather than defaulting to the bigger ticket.
Whichever route you take, do it before November. Heat kits are a stocked item in September and a back-ordered one the week after the first front.
Written by
The Orlando AC Repair team — licensed Florida HVAC contractors, #CAC1814992. Everything here comes from work we actually do in Central Florida homes.