Living without air conditioning is a terrible way to spend your summer but that doesn’t mean you have to spend thousands cooling your home. CNet posted an article called 6Rules to Save Money on Air Conditioning This Summer that has some rules that are simply good common sense for anyone who wants to save a significant amount this summer. The author Alina Bradford suggests:

1. Don’t cool the entire neighborhood. “To see how well your home is holding in the cold, sign up for a home energy audit with your utility provider or a local contractor. A certified home energy rater or auditor will check your home for leaks and recommend the best way to make your home more energy efficient. Don't want to spring for an audit? Do a mini-audit yourself. Stand outside your home and run your hand along windows and doors. Can you feel the cold air escaping? If you do, caulk around leaky windows and add insulation around doors.”
2. Put your thermostat in the right place. “Thermostat placement can play a big part in how well your air conditioner works. If you put it on a wall right next to a hot window, for instance, your air conditioner will kick on much more often than it needs to because it will think the room is hotter than it actually is. Here's how to pick the perfect wall for your thermostat.”
3. Close your blinds during the hottest parts of the day. “ A window letting in the hot sun won't just heat up your thermostat, it'll heat you up too. During the warmest part of the day, close your window blinds. Closing the blinds keeps out the sun. It can also help insulate your windows, which stops the cold air from escaping.”
4. Use a fan. According to a study linked to in the original article, using a ceiling fan can reduce the temperature by as much as 10 degrees.
5. Set the temperature on your air conditioning as high as you can stand it.
6. Increase the temperature in your home when you leave . There’s no need to cool an empty house.

Of course, one of the best ways to save money on air conditioning is to get a new unit from AC World . We offer the expertise you need to select the right unit and a wide selection of air conditioning types.