I live in the southeast. My brother lives in the southwest. My best friend just moved to the great northeast. We are all over the country, but the one thing we have in common is the desire to enjoy modern HVAC technology while still saving energy and money. It is the middle of the hottest summer days, so we all are unwilling to do without a/c, but we still want to save money on utilities. Some things to try include the following. Raise the thermostat setting on your a/c and use ceiling fans. Ceiling fans do not change the temperature of the air, but they make you feel cooler, so if you have ceiling fans running, you can turn your thermostat up to 76 or even 78 and still be pretty darn comfortable. When you are not at home, don’t turn off the a/c, but do turn the thermostat setting even higher. Block out the sunshine. The sun is hot; if you want to avoid your house cooking under the summer sun, block it out! Personally, I use blackout curtains. You can plant shade trees; you can add shutters; you can get your windows tinted. All these types of things will help your a/c engage less frequently. Purchase different light bulbs. This doesn’t really have anything to do with your heating and cooling system, but if you spend less on energy for the lights, more can go toward your a/c. Energy efficient light bulbs are readily available nowadays, and they tend to last longer than the traditional one’s.