Recently temperatures in the grand valley have been pretty mild, but the summer is sure to heat things up.

If you are more concerned with saving money than staying cool you could start by simply tolerating a higher temperature in your home. Tom Minerick with Xcel Energy says to go as high as you can, “The higher the temp is on the thermostat, the less energy the unit is going to require to maintain that temperature, so go up as high as you can, generally we say 78 or higher.”

If that sounds too hot there are other things you can do to both save money and keep cool; only use your air conditioner when you are at home, open windows at night when it cools off and close shades during the day to keep the hot sun out.

Randy Schwartz at the Ace Hardware in the Redlands also suggests getting rid of the rocks outside your home, “Put mulch around your house instead of rocks to keep your foundation cool.”

Schwartz also says the kind of light bulb you use in your house matters when it comes to keeping cool, “Use energy efficient light bulbs such as LED or CFL, they put off less heat than standard ones.”

They don’t just put off less heat but they use less energy, which will help lower your energy bill this summer. According to Xcel Energy changing just 10 bulbs in your home will save you up to $50 a year on your bill.

Something else that will lower your bill is replacing your appliances with energy efficient ones. If you are looking to replace your air conditioner and buy one that is energy efficient, you can get up to $500 in rebates from Xcel.

For even more low cost, energy saving tips click the link below this story.