August in the Mid-South can be brutal – heat waves combined with humidity can take a toll. It can be tough to fork out extra money to pay for the constant use of an air conditioner in the house, but at the same time, you and your family would be miserable without it. We understand this frustrating cycle, and we’ve discovered a few tips to help you stay cool and save cash during the dog days of summer:

• Close your blinds or curtains to keep the sun at bay. You can even put your plants on sunny windowsills to absorb some of the extra heat that comes from sunlight filtering in.
• Use your fans. Ceiling fans are a simple way to cool an area of the room quickly – just make sure to turn them off when you finish using them. Stand alone fans also offer a quick remedy to a toasty day.
• Turn off the lights. Modern lighting is very energy-efficient, but incandescent light bulbs produce heat as well as light. You’ll be keeping your indoor temperatures down while conserving electricity at the same time!
• Plant foliage. Put your green thumb on display and plant trees and shrubs around your house – they will absorb heat from the sun and will offer you and your family some outdoor shady spots!
• 18W CFLs use 76% less energy than 75W incandescent equivalents. Over the course of a year, that can add up to $8-$15 in savings per bulb replaced!
• We wash a lot of clothes during the busy summer time.  Try using cold water to wash your clothes! Not only will you save on the energy required to heat the water, but detergents formulated for cold water will get your clothes just as clean!
• Rather than leaving your A/C on all day so that your home is cool when you return, consider using an appliance timer to turn it on and off around your daily routine. You'll feel as cool walking in the door as if it had been on all day; and won't notice the difference - until you see the savings on your energy bill!

Summer will fade away before long, but make sure to follow these tips to beat the August heat in the meantime!