Wear cooler clothes during hot weather, and set the thermostat to 78

Do your summertime electric bills make you break out in a sweat? Turning the thermostat up five degrees could lower your energy costs for cooling by up to 15 percent. Rather than blasting the air conditioning, lighten up your layers by wearing white and other light colors that don't absorb sunlight as easily, and don lightweight, natural fabrics like cotton instead of artificial fibers. Adjust your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher, and now your warm-weather energy bills won't leave you hot and bothered.

Ways to Stay Cool and Save Money and Energy

Summer Energy-Saving Tips from the Department of Energy

• Make sure there aren't any lamps or other warm appliances near your thermostat that could trick it into working overtime.
• Drastically lowering the thermostat won't cool your house faster—in fact, it could make your air conditioner work too hard and cost you unnecessarily.
• Check to make sure your air conditioning duct vents are clean and aren't blocked by furniture or curtains.
• Still using incandescent light bulbs? They put off more heat than energy-efficient CFLs or LEDs, creating more work for your home cooling system.