When an Oklahoma resident realized the air conditioning in his house could not keep up with the Oklahoma heat, he put his engineering mind to work.

Jeff Hill, a Navy veteran, tackled a widespread challenge caused by Oklahoma’s intense heat — overworked AC units.

“The air conditioner in our house could not keep up,” Hill said. “It was just baking in the sun all day.”

With support from Oklahoma State University’s New Product Development Center, Hill created a solution to keep his AC running efficiently and for a long time.

Hill immediately knew an awning could not be placed over the AC unit because the hot exhaust would be trapped. During his initial approach to a solution, he tried a fence to block the sun and provide shade. He determined that the AC unit required continuous shade that aligned with the sun’s movement.

Hill pursued product development support through SCORE Oklahoma City, a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, where a liaison referred him to the NPDC and the Inventor’s Assistance Service program.

He participated in the IAS program, which is sponsored by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology and operated by the NPDC. The IAS program provides Oklahoma inventors with preliminary patent and market research, a business plan and a wide variety of engineering support.

Hill provided the NPDC team with a previously built prototype sewn by his wife, Marie.

"This was kind of a reverse thing," Hill said. "The first prototype was an aluminum fold-up frame."

The NPDC team created computer-aided design drawings of the provided prototype.

"Then, I pulled a 180 on the NPDC team and completely changed the design to a PVC design," Hill said.

Hill chose to change the design and material for modular, shipping and sizing reasons, he said.

“I went back and sat down with the NPDC team and they redesigned all of the CAD drawings,” Hill said. “They were awesome. They made us a full set of drawings again of the second prototype and everything looked perfect,” he added.

The AC Shade is designed to block direct sunlight to outdoor AC units while allowing for full airflow, Hill said. The AC Shade can be installed in minutes with no tools.

“Some of the little features of the AC Shade are key,” Hill said. “This is specifically designed to release all wind pressure in the way that it’s fastened and sewn.”

The AC Shade reduces summer electricity costs while also helping extend the lifespan of the AC system.  With a utility patent secured and a product manufacturer, Hill launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2025 selling 4,100 units. Hill predicts the 2026 sales year to be very strong compared to the 2025 launch, he said.

“It’s kind of a ‘why not’ product,” Hill said.

Story By: Cynthia McNally, Senior Administrative Support Specialist, NPDC | cynthia.mcnally@okstate.edu