I love summer for many reasons. Beach days. Floppy hats. Watermelon season.

One thing I do not enjoy about this time of year? My electric bill usually skyrockets.

But this month is different. This month, our bill was about $60. Not bad, considering we’ve been cranking the air conditioner full force, right?

I’ve been able to keep costs down by adapting a few energy-saving habits. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if they were actually making a difference. But if my electric bill is any indication, these habits are paying off. Here’s how you can lower your electric bill and still stay cool this summer.    

Avoid Heat-Generating Appliances

When it’s hot as hell outside, you obviously want to minimize the heat you’re generating inside.

For example, our apartment gets stupid hot anytime I bake. This is great in the winter; in the summer, it’s pretty miserable. (And homemade chocolate chip cookies should not equate misery.) Pretty basic stuff, but I simply avoid the oven when the sun is up. That means, in the summer, my cooking is resigned to the stovetop. Or, better yet, I don’t cook at all. Instead, I put a fresh, cool salad together. A few other ways to cut heat in your home:

• If you have a dryer, consider line drying your clothes in the summer.
• Hand wash your dishes instead of running the dishwasher.
• Wash your clothes on the cold water setting.

Bonus tip: don’t forget to clean out your dryer’s lint filter. This helps it to run more efficiently and use less energy.

Run Ceiling Fans Counterclockwise

According to Energy Star, you should set your ceiling fans to turn counterclockwise in summer and clockwise in winter. Apparently, clockwise pushes the warm air up and counterclockwise has the opposite effect.

I really don’t know the science behind this (who do I look like, Bill Nye?), but it’s a simple fix, and it can’t hurt.

Unplug

Unplug any appliances you’re not using. Even better, install smart power strips on your computer station and TV hub. A smart power strip shuts off every appliance connected to it at once. Some even include timers that let you schedule when to turn off those appliances.

Beware the Tiers

Some electric companies use tiered pricing. This means you’re charged at a higher rate after a certain amount of energy usage. For example:

• Tier One: 0.14¢ per kWh (for the first 1,000 kWh)
• Tier Two: 0.18¢ per kWh (for the next 2,000 kWh)
• Tier Three: 0.27¢ per kWh (for more than 3,000 kWh)

Basically, if you use a buttload of energy one month, you could be paying even more than you expect, because your kilowatts are even more expensive.

If your provider uses tiers, find out at what point your price jumps. How much energy do you have to use before you’re in the next tier? From there, learn how to read your meter to keep track of your energy use. Make sure you stay in the first tier.

Draw the Curtains

It’s tempting to let the sunshine in during the summer–but no. This just makes it take even longer to cool your home or apartment. During the summer, I draw the curtains and turn my apartment into a cave.

In fact, we recently invested in blackout curtains to keep our bedroom nice, dark and cool. The only drawback? I want to sleep in until noon every single morning.

Take Advantage of Off-Peak Hours

Some electric companies offer discounted rates during certain times of day–usually in the evening. If yours does, consider using large appliances (like your washer or dryer) during these hours.

Keep Vents Open

It’s a common belief that closing your air vents will save money on electricity. But experts say this is a myth, as it actually has the opposite effect. According to SaveOnEnergy.com:

“If you’re wondering how to close AC vents to improve a temp in your home, the best answer is to leave them open. Your air conditioner will produce the same amount of air regardless of any vents you have closed. Open vents help streamline air flow and allow the unit to efficiently cool your home. Since you can’t save any energy by shutting AC vents, leave them open to optimize cool air flow.”

And, of course, there are the old energy-saving standbys: install CFL bulbs, turn off the lights when you leave a room, etc.

It’s hot. And that means a hike in your electric bill is probably inevitable. But with a few simple adjustments, you can soften the blow, at least a little.

Photo by Maegan Tintari.