80% in new survey say economic uncertainty is influencing how they’ll spend—and cool—their homes this summer.
For generations, summer has signaled freedom—longer days, backyard barbecues, road trips, and moments of rest between the demands of everyday life. But in 2025, that season of fun is colliding with something far less welcome: economic unease.
According to a new survey 2025 Summer Home Cooling Report, homeowners across the country are entering the summer not with excitement, but with caution. The survey, conducted through the Pollfish platform, polled 1,000 U.S. homeowners to explore how rising financial anxiety is shaping everything from vacation plans to thermostat settings. The results paint a sobering picture of a season in which financial stress isn’t just influencing what Americans do - but how they feel.
Key Findings:
A Summer Shadowed by Financial Stress
Summer usually arrives with the promise of lightness: time off, warm nights, and a break from the pressures of the rest of the year. But for most Americans in 2025, that familiar feeling is harder to come by. But according to the data, this summer is arriving under a cloud of financial stress—and that stress is shaping everything from mood to mindset.
An overwhelming 80% of homeowners said they’re feeling more cautious about how they’ll spend money this summer. That’s four out of five Americans walking into the season not with excitement, but with restraint. This isn’t just about belt-tightening or skipping a splurge—it’s a widespread psychological shift. Homeowners are scrutinizing everyday expenses and recalibrating decisions that once felt routine.
Cooling the home is front and center. More than half of those surveyed (54%) said they’re specifically worried about how they’ll manage paying for summer cooling—a cost that’s unavoidable in many parts of the country and especially daunting as energy prices remain unpredictable. When asked how this financial pressure is impacting them emotionally, 61% said it’s already affecting their mood. For 16%, that means starting summer feeling stressed. Another 45% describe themselves as concerned but trying to stay optimistic. And even those not reporting major stress are still carrying the worry quietly—just 13% said finances weren’t on their mind at all.
But perhaps most telling is that this isn’t being viewed as a temporary discomfort. Nearly 80% of respondents say recent economic uncertainty has impacted their optimism about their financial future beyond this summer. A full quarter say that impact has been “significant.” For many, summer is simply the latest phase of a larger story: a long period of instability, rising costs, and household finances that feel increasingly fragile.
This collective caution marks a turning point. It suggests that Americans are not just responding to short-term inflation or seasonal expenses—they’re adjusting to a new normal. And as they do, the tension between staying comfortable and staying financially afloat is becoming one of the defining struggles of the season.
“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.”
From Pool Days to Pivots: Cooling Becomes a Calculation
For decades, air conditioning was a background utility—quietly doing its job while families focused on vacations, cookouts, and kids out of school. But in 2025, that convenience continues its move to the foreground. Only 21% of respondents said they feel fully prepared to manage cooling costs this summer. Everyone else is bracing for uncertainty.
While 37% described their feelings as “slightly uneasy but manageable,” more than a third expressed real anxiety. Some expect to make sacrifices. Others aren’t sure how they’ll afford it at all. And a surprising 8% said they haven’t thought about it yet—possibly because thinking about it feels too overwhelming.
For many, those sacrifices will come from the parts of summer that are meant to be joyful. If cooling costs spike, nearly 80% of homeowners say other summer plans will likely be affected. Dining out, travel, even household essentials and debt repayment—all are on the table for potential cuts.
Changing the Way We Cool
Faced with rising costs, Americans aren’t just worrying—they’re adapting. Nearly three-quarters of homeowners say they’re planning to change how they cool their homes this summer if expenses rise.
Many are embracing low-cost tactics: drawing the curtains during peak sun hours, relying more on ceiling and box fans, and adjusting their thermostats a few degrees higher than usual. Small changes, yes—but collectively they signal a shift in mindset. Comfort is no longer assumed; it’s negotiated.
Only 21% of homeowners said they’re not planning any changes at all. The rest are modifying their behavior in advance—an indicator that they don’t expect the coming months to be easy.
And if energy prices surge? The most common response isn’t investment in new systems or smart tech. It’s to cool less often. Thirty-six percent say they’d simply use their AC less. The takeaway: people aren’t expecting to beat the heat—they’re preparing to live with it.
Thermostat Trends Tell the Story
One of the clearest signs that Americans are changing course is their thermostat. In a similar DuraPlas survey conducted in 2023, we asked what temperature people planned to cool their homes to. Temperatures in the mid-to-high 60s and low 70s were most common. This year, more homeowners are opting to ride out the heat with warmer settings.
In 2025, 72°F is the most reported temperature, followed by 70°, 75°, and even 78°. Lower settings like 65° and 68° have fallen from the upper spots they were in just two years ago. That shift might seem subtle, but it’s a revealing signal of how Americans are adjusting expectations to match their economic reality.
They’re not just managing money—they’re managing comfort. And that, perhaps more than any one stat, sums up the reality of the American summer in 2025.
A Season of Trade-Offs
What this summer is revealing isn’t just the fragility of people’s finances—it’s the way economic stress reshapes their daily lives, their sense of control, and their future planning.
The 2025 DuraPlas Summer Home Cooling Report shows that homeowners are bracing for a summer unlike those of the past. They’re adjusting expectations, altering behaviors, and preparing to give up the very things that once made summer feel like a break from the grind.
“People are trying to stay ahead of surprise costs,” said Phillips. “That mindset shift is shaping how they approach everything from comfort to long-term planning.”
Whether that’s dialing up the thermostat, skipping a trip, or sweating through July with a ceiling fan instead of central air, these are the decisions defining 2025.
It’s not all doom and gloom. There’s resourcefulness here. Adaptability. But there’s also a clear call to action for companies in the home energy and infrastructure space: meet people where they are, and help them stretch what they have—because right now, every degree, every dollar, and every decision matters more than ever.
