For many people summer goes hand-in-hand with an overly inflated energy bill, caused by a constantly running air conditioner. If you'd like to spare your wallet from the damage caused by running your air-conditioning system non-stop, follow these tips to keep cool and save that AC for when you really need it:

Wear Cotton (and nothing but Cotton)

Cotton is an amazing material – it's completely natural, it's comfortable, and it keeps you cool in summer!

Cotton's natural structure allows a lot of air circulation around your body, which helps minimise sweating. This has the benefit of not only keeping you cool and dry, but also greatly diminishing the potential for a fungal infection to form on any part of your body (as fungi thrive in moist environments).

Cool your Sheets

Here's a handy trick – before you go to bed, stick your bed sheets in the freezer for a few minutes. If you're going to bed hot, the crisp and cold sheets will give you some much needed relief and lower your body temperature to a comfortable point.

Additionally, you can easily do this with clothes. Refrigerate a shirt for a few minutes, and put it on right before you go out. It'll make the heat much more tolerable (at least for a few minutes).

Watch Out for Coffee and Alcohol

There's no need to abstain completely, but try not to go overboard with coffee and alcohol. Both of these substances cause dehydration, and dehydration is definitely not a state you want to be in during the blistering heat.

Cold Showers

There are few things as refreshing as a cold shower when the heat gets particularly intense. Having a cold shower before bed is great – you rinse off all of the day's sweat and stickiness, you cool down, and you go to bed feeling fresh and clean!

Spend the Day Somewhere Cool

Summer comes with many days off. Unfortunately, if it's a choice between an exorbitant AC bill and suffering in the heat, the day off can seem much less exciting.

If it's too hot, go out for the day. While at first you may not feel like leaving the house, there are plenty of wonderful public places that are always cool; shopping malls, libraries, movie theatres – fill your day with fun activities that take place somewhere where they are generous with the AC. Contact a company that deals in heating and air conditioning repairs to learn more.