$176 million

Amount of money Florida will receive to weatherize homes over the next couple of years, a $171 million increase over the $5 million the state will get this year. That money is part of the $5 billion in federal stimulus money dedicated to heating and cooling homes more efficiently, as reported by The New York Times in "Stimulus Funds Spent to Keep Sun Belt Cool." (The photo shows ductwork for a heating/cooling system being caulked.)

All states are receiving significant increases in weatherizing funds from Uncle Sam, and cold-climate states get a majority of the money. But in the past, those states received two-thirds of weatherization money and now it's about half, according to the Times. (Read our latest report on air conditioning, which includes coverage of portable air conditioners and split-ductless systems; reports available to subscribers.)

The increased spending in hot-climate states, which is based on an old, rarely used Congressional formula, is dubious considering Americans use a lot more energy heating homes than they do cooling them. As the Times' article states, "Repeated questions have been raised about the effectiveness of weatherization in hot-climate states. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, which evaluates the program for the Energy Department, released a study last year questioning the program's results in Texas, which will get $327 million in weatherization money from the stimulus law. The laboratory found that insulating homes did not save a significant amount of money on cooling, a finding it said was consistent with previous studies."—Kimberly Janeway | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Learn how to stay cool without sky-high energy bills and read about ceiling fans.