When temperatures start to spike, most people want to crank up the air conditioner. But your energy company also cranks up your rate during the day. And as temperatures rise, so does the risk to your air-conditioning unit if you overuse it. To stay cool and save money doing it, here are a few tips to make your living space comfortable when the heat outside starts to climb.

Set your a/c within 20 degrees of the outside temperature

Trying to get your air conditioning down to 70 degrees when the air outside is above 100 degrees will force it to work constantly, and over time, will damage the unit. Setting your thermostat to a temperature 20 degrees below the outside temperature eases the burden on the a/c while acclimating your body to a higher temperature for cooling. This means, that when you lower your thermostat at night it will feel even cooler to you.

Go dark with black-out curtains

Keeping your space dark will help keep your place cool and lower your energy bill because your a/c unit doesn't have to work as hard. You can find affordable black-out curtains at hardware stores like Home Depot.

Put ice or a frozen water bottle in front of fans

You can bring down the immediate temperature around you by placing a large bowl or bucket of ice or a large frozen water bottle in front of a fan. When air from the fan passes over the ice, it circulates cool air into the room.

Check out these sites for more tips on staying cool:

6 Ways to Stay Cool in Extreme Heat 

Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather 

Cheap Ways to Stay Cool in Hot Weather