Home electric bills tend to soar high in the summertime, especially when the outside temperature get into the mid-80s. Here are some things you can do in the summertime to help lower your bill each month.

1.) Set your thermostat to a higher temperature when you’re not home. If you usually have it set at 70 degrees when you’re home, set it to around 80 or 85 degrees when you’re not home (assuming you have no pets in the house). There is really no reason for your house to stay cool for the 8-10 hours a day when you’re at work. This not only saves money, but saves the wear and tear on your air conditioner.

2.) Close the blinds or curtains in rooms you don’t go into very often. You don’t want your house to be dark on a nice, sunny day, but closing the blinds in bedrooms you don’t use or go into very often will keep some of the sun’s heat out and help the house to cool down faster.

3.) Open windows in the morning and at night when it’s cooler. If you live in the south where the days can get to over 100 degrees, you probably won’t be able to keep your windows open very often, even at dusk or dawn. But in many parts of the country, even on 80-90 degree days, the nights can get as low as around 60-65 degrees. That kind of temperature can allow you to let some fresh air in the house, keep the air conditioner off for 10 hours or so, and give you a better nights rest.

4.) Cook dinner on the grill rather than on the stove or in the oven. Chicken, burgers, steaks, pork chops...there are all kinds of foods that can be cooked outside on the grill. Not only will you save money by keeping your range off, but you won’t have the heat from the range circulating through the house, which would force your air conditioner to turn on more often.

5.) Keep lights off during the day. If you have sunlight coming in through a couple of windows in the rooms you generally use, that’s usually enough light in the daytime that you don’t need to turn on lamps or overhead lights.

Summer electric bills can be shocking, especially the first couple of the hot season. But follow some of the steps above, and you should be able to keep some of that money in your pocket.