10 Ways to save money on air conditioning

1. Watch placement of your appliances: Electric appliances put off heat. Sometimes it's not much heat, but sometimes it is. Even televisions put off a certain amount of heat. So don't place any appliances near your thermostat. This fools the thermostat into thinking it's actually warmer than it really is, and then the thermostat will kick on more often.
2. Keep out the sun: Whether you've got blinds or heavy drapes or some other kind of window covering, keep them closed so the sunlight doesn't allow in more light and heat. Adding awnings outside above your windows can help even more to keep out sunlight.
3. Paint your house with light colors: Darker colors hold in more heat. Light colors hold in less heat. It's that simple. Paint your house using lighter colored paints. This will help to cool your house.
4. Cook outdoors: This one isn't feasible for everyone, but for those with outdoor grills, this could help keep down your air conditioning costs. How? Because cooking and baking creates quite a bit of heat, and that heat will linger a while when the cooking is done indoors. Remember that if you have central air, not only is your unit pumping in cool air, but it's also pumping out warm air. Thus, the less warm air there is, the less work your central air unit has to do.
5. Don't block those vents: The cool from your air conditioner can't circulate if the vents are covered or obstructed by drapes or curtains or furniture. Keep anything from covering those vents, allowing the air conditioner to do a better job at cooling. This would allow your place to cool better and faster, instead of tying up the thermostat which will keep reading a warmer temperature even though the air conditioner is running.
6. Make sure your attic is ventilated: The sun beats down a lot of heat onto rooftops, and that heat will linger at the top of your house unless there's a way for it to dissipate. The best way is through attic ventilation. Most houses will have some kind of vents for the attic, but some old houses do not. If your house doesn't have ventilation, talk to a contractor about correcting this situation, or if you're one of those do-it-yourself persons then look into it yourself. Also, make sure not to block any of your vents from the inside or the heat will have a harder time getting out.
7. Turn up the temperature: This is the easiest way to save a little air conditioning money. Turn that thermostat up. Even just a couple of degrees can save money, but the higher you turn it up, the more money you will save. Just don't let your place get too warm because that can be unhealthy and downright dangerous in extreme warm weather.
8. Inspect those coils: Central air units will have an indoor coil and an outdoor coil. You need to keep those coils clean for the air conditioner to work to its best potential. If you don't know what the coils look like, check your owner's manual or call the company's help line. Dust tends to gather on the indoor coil, and sometimes dirt or dust can build on the outdoor coil.
9. Watch those seals: If you have a window air unit, one of the most common ways to lose cool air is for the seal between the unit and the window to have a hole or not be tight. Check those seals frequently, at least once a week. Sometimes you'll have to replace a seal altogether, put other times you can close up a small hole with a piece of duct tape.
10. Don't forget the fans: Ceiling fans. Floor fans. Handheld fans. Doesn't matter. They're all cheaper on the electric bill than an air conditioner. A fan can't bring in cool air like an air conditioner, but fans do help to circulate what cool air there is. Also, fans can feel pretty good when they blow on you on a hot day!