Homeowners Insurance with out of pocket upgrade

[David Shockley]

Hey everyone, long time lurker. I need some advice on whether I can come out of pocket to upgrade the SEER rating on an HVAC replacement. Currently live in residence and we had a pretty nasty hail storm hit our area this past summer. Got the roof replaced, siding, garage door, and some drywall / paint for a leak the hail caused. Anyway, the outside condenser unit was hit pretty bad and after a back and forth with the Insurance company, they have approved entire system replacement. I have a split ac system with a heat pump. I know they will cover a comparable unit with replacement. My old unit was from 2005 and was a 13 seer 2.5 ton unit. If I would like to upgrade to lets say a 16 or 18 seer, can I do so with the insurance money and my money on top. I cant find anything definitive in the forums so far. My policy is NOT an actual cash value. I have to submit an estimate to insurance for the comparable system. In the event underwriters audit after the fix, is it OK to show that I upgraded on top of their payment?