Taking Their Temperatures: Homeowners Wrestle With Cooling Costs

ADDISON, Texas --  DuraPlas, a leading provider of innovative plastic solutions in the agriculture industry, and a recent entry into HVAC, released in mid-June the findings from its  2025 Summer Home Cooling Report , which explores how economic pressure is changing the way Americans prepare for and experience summer at home.

The survey of 1,000 U.S. homeowners, conducted on February 11, 2025, via the third-party survey platform Pollfish, found that financial anxiety is reshaping how people manage cooling costs and make day-to-day decisions. The data highlights a shift toward more cautious spending, increased energy stress and a new mindset where comfort is no longer taken for granted.

Key findings from the survey include:

• 80% of homeowners say they’re more cautious about summer spending due to the economy.

• 54% are worried about how they’ll afford to cool their homes.

• 61% say financial concerns are already affecting their mood heading into summer.

• 72°F is now the most reported thermostat setting, displacing colder temperatures like 65° and 68° from previous years.

• 36% say if cooling costs spike, they’ll simply use air conditioning less often.

• Homeowners expecting higher cooling bills say summer plans like dining out or entertainment (62%), travel or vacations (58%), and saving contributions (50%) are most likely to take a hit.
  

“These results show that cooling the home is no longer a background concern—it’s a central part of how people are thinking about their finances this summer,” said Paul Phillips, president of DuraPlas. “When homeowners are adjusting travel plans, cutting back on essentials, and changing how they cool their homes, it reflects more than just rising energy bills. It speaks to a deeper need for stability and predictability in everyday life. The takeaway is clear: people want to feel in control, and they’re actively looking for ways to protect that control.”

The report also finds that only 21% of respondents feel fully prepared to manage summer energy costs. Others describe themselves as uneasy, anxious or overwhelmed. While some are making small behavioral changes—like relying more on fans, keeping blinds closed or raising the thermostat—others anticipate deeper cutbacks if bills rise, including reducing spending on travel, dining, and even household necessities.

Thermostat trends also reflect changing expectations. Cooler temperature preferences from previous years are giving way to warmer settings, with 72°F, 75°F, and 78°F climbing in popularity. This suggests that homeowners are consciously adjusting their comfort levels to reduce costs, and that this summer, every degree and every dollar is being carefully weighed.

“People are trying to stay ahead of surprise costs,” Phillips added. “That mindset shift is shaping how they approach everything from comfort to long-term planning.”

RSES Journal spoke with Riley Peters, HVAC Channel Manager for Dura Plas, because we found the survey was very timely and intuitive in addressing the rising costs of just about everything. It was also surprising that people living in cold climates were thinking about cooling costs in mid-winter.

"Energy costs over the past five years are always a concern; maybe not top-of-mind, but when prompted, people can point to [energy costs] and say 'this is taking a bigger piece of my monthly expenses, and, is there an end in sight?'" Peters said.

If there's a take-away tip for contractors, it's that they can help consumers manage energy costs by reminding them to change AC filters frequently, look into a potential need for attic insulation, and managing heat load through smart use of window shades, in addition to regular system maintenance.

"For those that are concerned about their energy bills in summer, a good practice to mitigate that is to have the equipment serviced in a preventive maintenance fashion. That not only helps with the efficiency of your air conditioner prior to the [cooling] season, but it can also prolong the life of it so you’re not having to make an emergency purchase on a 100-degree day to keep your family comfortable."

Dallas-based DuraPlas has manufactured plastics products for more than 50 years. It moved into HVAC within the last couple of years, with durable support pads for outdoor condensing units, and condensate pans for indoor units.

"it's very important to be down in the homeowner and contractor realm, to understand what’s going on there; and [the survey] is a type of bridge to that, to ‘take the temperature’ of the people that are making the decisions.”

For complete survey results and additional insights, visit the  2025 DuraPlas Summer Home Cooling Report .