There are a lot of small, easy things you can do to get the most out of your AC and lighten the energy load for savings in your energy bill.

Don't touch that thermostat
The magic number is 78 degrees. In most climates this is a comfortable temperature setting. Each degree higher than that will save you 6 to 8 percent in cooling costs. You can also set it a couple degrees higher when you're not home.

Lowering the set temperature won't cool your place any quicker and will only wind up costing you more energy. Keep it at a constant temperature. The AC unit will regulate itself as designed.

When warm summer days get too hot for comfort, try Nature's ways to cool down instead of reaching for the air conditioner.

How Hot Are You?

The first step is to simply assess how hot you are. If you're only a little warm, you might be able to cool down by drinking a glass of naturally-sweetened lemonade. I like to squeeze a quarter of a lemon and a quarter of a lime in a tall glass of ice water and add a little stevia powder. (For more cool drinks made with natural sweeteners see the Beverages page of sweetsavvy.com