8 Painless Ways to Slash Your Energy Bill

Summer. It's the perfect time to sit outside, sip some lemonade, maybe splash around in the pool.

Well, usually.

This summer, many more of us than normal might be opting to stay inside. Maybe (like me) you live in an area that has been smoked up by the Canadian wildfires. Maybe (thankfully not like me) you ate a cyclospora salad and are confined to the bathroom.

But the likeliest reason many people will be staying indoors is extreme heat—heat that will keep air conditioners running harder and longer than normal, and push already high energy bills through the roof.

Today, we'll talk about a variety of (pain-free) ways to beat those bills back.

A Hot American Summer

Several heat events have turned the U.S. into a sizzling platter this summer.

For instance, as I write this, a heat dome (a high-pressure atmospheric system that traps hot air over a region) stretching from Texas to North Dakota is pushing temperatures into the triple digits for some 50 million people. 

Just a few weeks ago, another heat wave shattered previous all-time highs across the East Coast. The West Coast got an early start, with North Shore, California, tying the 1954 mark for the warmest March temperature recorded anywhere in the U.S.

And with rising temperatures, we've suffered rising electricity costs.

Young and the Invested Tip: Grocery costs have also been rising, so you might want to check out these strategies to tighten up your food budget, too.

According to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA)¹, American households are projected to spend substantially more to keep their cool this summer. Specifically, the average home electricity expenditure is expected to rise 10.5% from $717 in 2025 to $792 in 2026. 

The timing couldn't be much worse. NEADA's report also notes that about 1 in 6 American households already are behind on their utility bills.

8 Ways to Keep Your Energy Costs Down

There's little we can do to change the heat, and we don't have much say in the prices our utility companies charge.

But there are still some reasonable actions you can take to make a meaningful dent in skyrocketing energy costs. We'll outline eight steps, some of which you can also put to use during the winter months.

1. Make Slight Temperature Adjustments

Let's start with an obvious one: In the summer, increase the normal temperature of your house by just 2 to 3 degrees; in the winter, do the opposite. 

Yes, yes—everyone knows adjusting the temperature can make a difference in your bills. But many people don't realize how much of a cost difference even incremental changes can make.

Research conducted at the University of Georgia² found that a modest raise in building temperatures lowered energy consumption by 19% to 40% without affecting people's comfort. "We were able to document that there were no thermal comfort perception problems generated by making these fairly small—2- to 3-degree—temperature setpoint increases during the summer cooling season," said Thomas Lawrence, Professor Emeritus and Director of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

Even adjusting your thermostat for part of the day—say, keeping your house warmer in the summer while you're at work, or turning the heat a little lower before you go to sleep during the winter—can make a difference. If you think you'll forget to adjust the temperature on your own, consider installing a programmable thermostat that automatically changes the temperature at set times.

2. Shut / Open the Shades

When you let in the sun, you're not just letting in light—you're letting in heat. After all, there's a reason that chilly cats like to cozy up on patches of carpet hit by sunlight.

In the summer, closing your curtains during the hottest parts of the day can make a notable difference in how hard your air conditioning has to work. Conversely, during the winter, leaving your curtains open can help keep your home warm at times, but only if those windows receive direct sunlight.

Blackout curtains and thermal shades are particularly useful. If you're renting and can't (or don't want to) put up new curtains, you can also apply a temporary window film or heat-reflective inserts.

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3. Use Fans the Right Way

Fans don't actually cool a room—they just make you feel cooler. That's fine when you're in the room. But when you leave, turn them off; keeping them on is just a waste of energy.

Also, if you have ceiling fans, make sure you're using the right spinning direction for the season. During the summer, if you want to push cool air down, have your ceiling fan rotate counterclockwise. In the winter, set your ceiling fan to clockwise. At a low speed, it can help create an updraft that pushes the warm air trapped at the ceiling down into the living space.

4. Take Advantage of Public Heat and Air Conditioning

Are you a remote worker or college student? Set your home thermostat to a less comfortable temperature for the energy savings, and instead go to a public place with a more comfortable environment for the day.

Take your work call from a reserved meeting room in a library or study in a quiet coffeeshop. Once you're home, you can adjust the temperature again.

Just make sure that you don't go to the extreme here. You generally must keep your home no colder than 55 degrees Fahrenheit and no warmer than 85 degrees to prevent issues like burst water pipes or warped drywall. 

5. Adjust Your Humidity

If you've ever been alarmed at hearing how high the temperatures reach in places like Arizona or New Mexico, you might have been told, "But it's a dry heat."

Humidity levels affect how different temperatures feel. Proof can be found on your phone's weather app in the "feels like" section on particularly humid days. 

Consider using a humidifier during the winter and a dehumidifier during the summer. Additionally, when you bathe in the summer, always use the bathroom fan to remove heat and humidity. Ideally, bathroom and kitchen fans are vented to the outside, rather than the attic.

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6. Keep Your Heating and Cooling Systems Running Efficiently

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems last an average of 10 to 20 years. To extend the life of your HVAC system and keep it running efficiently to save money now, you can perform the following tasks:

• Change air filters regularly.
• Clean your ducts.
• Remove debris from outside HVAC units.
• Avoid putting a television or lamp near the air conditioning thermostat so it doesn't sense the heat and run longer than needed.

7. Be Strategic With Appliance Use

Your washer, dryer, dishwasher, and oven all heat your home. In the winter, you likely don't mind this. In fact, after using your oven (and turning it off), you can leave the door open for a bit for a nice boost of hot air.

In the summer, however, the heat is a detriment and makes your cooling system work harder.

When cooking, use the exhaust fans in the kitchen. Even better, don't use the oven and instead grill outside or prepare cooler foods. Some people use clothes lines in the summer to let their clothes air dry, rather than using a hot dryer.

8. Weatherproof Your Home

Don't let the outside temperature in or the inside temperature out.

Sealing gaps is an inexpensive fix. A tube of caulk (under $10) closes drafty spots around windows and doors, while weatherstripping tape blocks gaps at frames for just a few dollars per roll. Draft stoppers under doors cost even less. Outlet gaskets ($5 to $10 for a pack) plug electrical drafts. Plastic on interior storm windows is a great way to prevent drafts.

Also, check your attic hatch—it's often overlooked and can leak significant heat; a simple foam board seal fixes this cheaply.

¹ NEADA: Summer Cooling Costs Projected to Hit Record Highs as Household Electric Bills Rise 10.5%. – June Price Update

² @UGAResearch: Turn up the thermostat: lower energy costs, no complaints

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Thank you as always for reading, and we hope you stay safe from the heat.

Hannah, Riley & Kyle

Young and the Invested

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