Six Ways to Save Money and Stay Cool

3. Use Fans

One of the best ways to save money is to keep your thermostat set as high as possible and use fans to keep the air in your home comfortable.

If you have ceiling fans, using them in conjunction with your air conditioner can make a room feel as much as 10 degrees cooler. If you have dual-direction fans, make sure they are spinning in the correct direction -- pushing air down, and not moving it up. If you forget to switch it from the winter setting (moving air up), you can actually heat up the room because the warm air that collects near the ceiling will be bounced back down toward the living area.

If you don't have ceiling fans, consider purchasing a small electric table fan for each of the rooms you spend time in. While not as effective as ceiling fans, they can still circulate air in the rooms and make it feel up to 5 degrees cooler. These can be found for as little as $10 at discount and home improvement stores and should pay for themselves in one season.

4. Limit Appliance Use to Off-Peak Hours

Using your appliances raises the temperature inside your house, causing your air conditioner to work harder and costing you more money.

Use appliances during the cooler evening or early-morning hours whenever possible. Some utilities will even charge less for electricity during these off-peak hours, which can save you even more money.

5. Vents

Make sure that your fireplace vent has been completely closed, so cooled air doesn't have an easy way to escape.

Also be aware of your use of ventilation fans in the kitchen, bathroom and other areas. These fans can suck out cooled air and make your air conditioner work that much harder if you accidentally leave them running.