A Summer of Strategy, Not Spending: How Americans Are Adapting to Cooling Challenges in 2025

As summer temperatures rise, a new concern is making its way into American households: cooling readiness. The 2025 DuraPlas Summer Cooling Survey reveals that only 21% of U.S. homeowners feel fully prepared to manage their cooling needs this summer. That means nearly four out of five are entering the hottest months of the year without full confidence in their systems, budgets, or strategies to stay cool. The sense of unpreparedness is widespread, cutting across age groups, regions, and income brackets.

What emerges from this data is a population trying to keep up with summer rather than feeling in control of it. Instead of investing in major home upgrades or top-of-the-line AC systems, most homeowners are turning to practical, low-cost strategies to manage the heat. These actions may not carry a hefty price tag, but they reflect growing anxiety about how to stay comfortable without sacrificing financial stability.

Practical Overhauls Without the Price Tag

Rather than relying on expensive upgrades, homeowners are taking small but deliberate steps to reduce their cooling burden. The survey notes that many are adjusting thermostats to slightly higher settings, using fans in tandem with AC to improve airflow, or limiting their activities to the coolest parts of the home during peak hours. These modest changes have become the new normal, not just energy-saving tips, but necessary adaptations to economic and environmental pressure.

This isn’t a matter of lifestyle preference; it’s a response to financial constraints and growing energy insecurity. The 2023 DuraPlas Summer Cooling Survey had already captured early signs of a behavioral shift toward cautious energy consumption. By 2024, the conversation had broadened to include emotional wellness, with 61% of homeowners reporting that the stress of cooling their homes was affecting their mood and mental health. The 2025 findings now cement the trend: Americans are relying on accessible, low-cost tactics not out of choice, but because other options feel out of reach.

Small Actions, Big Impact

What’s striking in this year’s data is not just how many people feel unprepared, but how resourceful they’ve become despite it. With major home improvements financially out of reach, homeowners are proving that resilience isn’t always about renovation, it’s about adaptation. From closing blinds to minimize indoor heat to scheduling AC use around peak energy rates, people are learning to outthink the heat.

These behavioral shifts speak volumes about consumer intent. They show a public that’s eager to act, even when budgets are tight. For energy providers, HVAC manufacturers, smart home brands, and adjacent industries, this presents a clear opportunity: meet consumers where they are with solutions that work within their means. People don’t need expensive overhauls—they need smarter, simpler systems that help them get more from what they already have.

Information Is in Demand—and in Short Supply

Many survey respondents noted that their current strategies come from trial and error. They’re piecing together advice from online forums, scattered blog posts, and anecdotal tips. There is a real gap in public guidance when it comes to low-cost, high-impact cooling strategies. This opens the door for brands to step in as trusted partners, offering content, tools, and products that empower consumers to stay cool confidently.

Whether it’s educational campaigns on airflow optimization, affordable product bundles, or rebate programs for basic improvements, companies that simplify the decision-making process can build strong, lasting relationships with a consumer base actively searching for help.

The Preparedness Gap Is a Market Signal

The fact that 79% of homeowners feel some level of unpreparedness isn’t just a sobering statistic, it’s a market signal. There is pent-up demand for affordable cooling solutions and trusted guidance. From window unit manufacturers to insulation providers, the need is clear: consumers aren’t waiting to be sold the highest-end product—they’re looking for practical answers today.

This insight builds on the trajectory revealed by the past three years of DuraPlas research. In 2023, Americans began shifting behaviors. In 2024, the mental and emotional cost of staying cool became apparent. And in 2025, the dominant theme is strategic self-reliance. Americans are increasingly managing the summer heat by adjusting their routines, embracing low-cost tactics, and doing the best they can with what they already have.

The New Definition of Preparedness

In 2025, readiness for summer cooling is no longer about who has the newest HVAC system or the biggest budget. It’s about adaptability. Homeowners are leaning into what they can control—modifying thermostat settings, closing off unused rooms, leveraging natural shade, and optimizing the placement of fans. These measures may seem small, but they reflect a much larger cultural shift.

This summer is not defined by perfection or luxury, it’s defined by resilience. Americans are not passively enduring the heat; they are planning around it. And they are doing so with urgency and ingenuity.

For Brands: Simplicity Builds Trust

For companies in home energy, HVAC, retail, or even content creation, the message is clear. Americans are not waiting for the heat to let up. They are actively seeking ways to bridge the gap between discomfort and unaffordable solutions. This is the moment to provide products and guidance that are accessible, scalable, and above all, grounded in empathy.

Preparedness may look different in 2025, but it’s no less powerful. In fact, it may be the very thing that drives the next generation of innovation in home cooling—smaller steps, smarter systems, and solutions that make comfort possible for more people, not just those with deep pockets.