I am lucky enough to have a lot of trees and shad around my property. This helps it to stay cool inside. I also have a humidifier in my bedroom so that will help cut down the humidity in the area. I keep my ac as low as I can stand it, and also I check my furnish filter. I have the AC checked routinely as it is part of my service agreement. They can let me know when the unit needs to be cleaned.
As I live in a country where summer temperatures generally hover around the 48 degree centigrade mark for weeks on end and the nights rarely go much cooler than 28 to 30 C - making savings at this time of year is unfortunately not something that is very easy to achieve. However as keeping the cost of cooling the house down and keeping us comfortable as economically as possible is always a top priority - although I too would agree - as many others have already mentioned - that for example Not running the AC continuously - so turning it off when the room has reached the required temperature Only having AC running in the room you use the most Using a fan instead or whenever you can Keeping the sunlight out by making sure shutters or blinds are closed throughout the day or at least when the sun is shining directly on the doors or windows Keeping all doors and windows closed during the hottest part of the day - only opening them when the temperature outside is cooler than inside - which is usually in the very early morning or at night - to let the cool air in. as well as Keeping the humidity low by using a dehumidifier if necessary - the latter of which can make a considerable difference in terms of energy saving as well as comfort - for the simple reason - that hot moist heat feels way hotter than dry heat can really help reduce the cost - I have to say that - even though planting trees around a house can be beneficial - in the sense that they do provide shade - if planning to do so - its always best to get advice on this one - particularly as there are many trees whose roots can cause severe and costly structural damage if planted too near a building and also that they generally bring extra work too - especially as the majority are deciduous - which means - when they drop their leaves - drains and gutters tend to get clogged up.
The summer is the best time to save money on laundry too. You can easily dry your laundry on the line outside, or even inside it will add some humidity and cool the air in your house!
There's usually a lot less laundry to do inthe summer anyhow as we obviously wear fewer clothes (I mean sweaters and stuff like that!). I do notice that my laundry detergent seems to last a lot longer duirng the summer months.
I'm thinking this is something that will very much depend on what country you live in and the climate - as I'm quite the opposite and although most of the items are smaller and lighter - I have way, way more washing during the summer than I do in the winter - mainly because everything needs to changed much more frequently due to the extreme heat we experience during our long hot summers. Either way I do agree with @BrandonScooterman - in that line drying your washing will save money - especially as - even though the new energy efficient dryers are now much more economical to run - substantial savings - regardless of the time of year - can always be made just by line drying the washing.
I also go through more clothing and towels in the Summer, because it's warmer, so I shower and change more frequently. I'm also doing more yard work, and at the beach more, so the laundry piles up, between the beach towels, wet clothing, and sweaty stuff from outdoor work, and changing the sheets more often. I do keep the thermostat pretty high though, and use the ceiling fans at least whenever I'm in that particular room, if not most of the time. I do crack my front blinds on one window to bring in some light, and also open one curtain in the office, because I love having the pretty sunlight coming inside, but definitely don't open them all up, or my A/C bill would double.
This summer, I've been extremely cautious about the amount of electricity that I use. I didn't use to be that way, but I have noticed that when I resist turning on the air until the later afternoon hours, I've managed to literally cut my electric bill in half. It's been a real eye opener for me.
I always keep the blinds closed to keep the sun out, however I am lucky in that there are plenty of rooms in our home that are shaded by trees outside anyway, so no matter how hot it might be, there is always somewhere that we are able to shelter. I will only ever use our air conditioning system if I have guests, as it wouldn't really be fair either to make them too hot, or to force them to sit with the blinds closed all day!
