Hot and humid days may have you turning to the AC for some relief, but unfortunately, you probably won’t be so relieved when you check out your energy bills. USA Today has some helpful pointers for keeping cool while keeping costs under control. Here are some of the tips that we really enjoyed:

• Replace your air conditioner filters once a month when it’s in use. Dirty air filters work a lot harder to cool you down and therefore waste energy. Clean filters will improve the quality of the air you breathe while keeping costs lower.
• Dress your windows with solar screens to intercept up to 70% of solar energy before it enters your house and heats it up.
• Get out of the kitchen when it’s really hot out. Don’t use the oven and instead use the toaster oven, the crock pot, or an outdoor grill.
• Circulate and save:
  

  When possible, place fans on your home’s upper level and open windows on a lower level. And if you use a ceiling fan, you may be comfortable enough to raise the temperature on your AC. A 2-degree increase can lower cooling costs by up to 14%, according to the EPA.

Source: USA Today