Now that we are officially in the middle of the summer season, many families are starting to return from their vacations, camping trips, and out of town visits to get a little rest and relaxation before the next wave of activities.

This is the time of year when the kids are out of school for summer vacation and families throughout the Country are enjoying time together doing things that are much more fun when the weather is nice and sunny.

But, when it comes time to spend a few weeks at home, the extra bodies and activity inside of the house can have some wear and tear on your appliances – especially your cooling system.

Keeping your home cool and your family happy is a top priority during your staycations – but, so is staying on budget. And, a power bill that has gotten out of control due to overuse of your cooling system can be a huge ding on your household budget.

To keep this from happening to you, make sure to follow these simple tips for minimizing the use of your cooling system – while still keeping your family comfortable:

• If you are going to be out of the house during the day, consider turning your cooling system down a few degrees. Even three degrees difference will have tremendous impact on your power bill – it could be the difference of hundreds of dollars over the course of the summer season.
• Set your system to a higher number when you are sleeping at night. While no one likes to be hot while they are sleeping – your body temperature naturally reduces while you are asleep making it less necessary to keep your thermostat so cold
• Pull the curtains or close your blinds in the heat of the day to reduce the amount of direct sunlight that comes into your home. An hour of direct sunlight can increase the temperature of your home by three degrees and, your cooling system has to work hard to combat that.

Keep your fun in the sun activities on budget both at home and away. You will help to maintain your budget and the longevity of your cooling system by using these easy tricks.