(NC)— With the warm summer heat upon us, homeowners tend to repeatedly change their thermostats in order to keep their homes cool. What they don't realize is that by constantly changing the thermostat, they are also destabilizing the temperature of their home, which can lead to higher energy bills. And that is not… cool.

“It's easy to overuse your thermostat and rack up your electricity bill because of your air conditioner,” says Dave Walton, director of home ideas for Direct Energy. “Installing a programmable thermostat is one of the simplest ways to control your energy usage. By raising the thermostat's temperature by five degrees Celsius at night and, if no one is home during the weekday, use the same approach for daytime hours too. Homeowners could save as much as 10 per cent on their energy bill.

So remember, once you've programmed your thermostat let it do its job so you don't end up with an outrageous summer cooling bill. Just set it and forget it.

With the extreme heat, here are a few other easy ways to keep cool without receiving high energy bills:

Reduce the number of hours your air conditioner is on each day by 30 per cent, and you could save as much as $111 over the summer.

Keep track of the age and efficiency of your air conditioner – central air conditioning units that meet 13 SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) requirements – will deliver as much as 28 per cent more efficiency when compared to an older 10 SEER model. Close doors and windows to keep your cold air in and warm air out. Keeping drapes and blinds closed on sunny days can also save on electricity costs.

More information on energy efficiency is available online at www.directenergy.com or toll-free at 1-888-334-8221.

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