Cool Tips: Simple Ways to Stay Comfortable and Use Less Electricity This Summer

Updated: September 2026

The easiest ways to cool your home for less are simple. Raise your thermostat a couple of degrees, run your ceiling fans counterclockwise and let a smart thermostat do the work when you're away or asleep. Your air conditioner (A/C) is the biggest driver of your summer electricity usage, so small changes there add up fast.

Texas summers don't hold back, and neither does your A/C. When temperatures climb, cooling your home becomes the single largest reason your electricity usage goes up. The good news is you don't need a big remodel or a new system to feel the difference. A few small habits can keep your home comfortable and help you use less. Here are our favorite cool tips to get you started.

Why your air conditioner matters most in summer

On a hot day, A/Cs can use up to 10 times as much electricity as all the lights in your home.¹ That's why cooling is the best place to focus when you want to bring your usage down.

The numbers back it up. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, air conditioning is the largest single use of electricity in a typical U.S. home, at about 18% of household electricity usage — and in Texas it's even higher, at about 28%. So when you cool smarter, you're targeting the exact thing that drives your summer bill.

Does raising your thermostat really save money?

Yes. Raising your thermostat 2°F can help reduce your usage by up to 10%.² A small change you'll barely notice can make a real dent in what you use.

Want to save even more? Turn it up when you leave home. The U.S. Department of Energy says you can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by adjusting your thermostat 7°–10°F for 8 hours a day from its normal setting — up in the warmer months, down in the colder ones. The reason is simple: the smaller the gap between the indoor and outdoor temperature, the less your A/C has to work. So set your thermostat as high as you're comfortable with when you're home, and a few degrees higher when you're away or asleep.

Which way should ceiling fans spin in the summer?

Counterclockwise. Rotate your ceiling fans counterclockwise to circulate cool air around the room and create a breeze that helps you feel cooler.

Here's the key: fans cool people, not rooms. A ceiling fan makes you feel cooler through a wind-chill effect, but it doesn't actually lower the temperature of the space. Two things to remember:

• A ceiling fan lets you raise your thermostat about 4°F with no drop in comfort, according to the Department of Energy — so pair your fan with a slightly higher setting.
• Turn the fan off when you leave the room. Since it's cooling you and not the air, running it in an empty room just adds to your usage. 

Are smart thermostats worth it?

For most homes, yes. Try a programmable or smart thermostat and set it to automatically raise the temperature when you're asleep or away, so your A/C uses less energy when you don't need it.

ENERGY STAR® estimates that an ENERGY STAR® certified smart thermostat saves about 8% on heating and cooling costs — roughly $50 a year on average. The real advantage is that it remembers for you. Instead of relying on yourself to adjust the thermostat before you head out the door, you set your preferences once and let it handle the rest. 

One more cool tip: block the heat before it gets in

Your windows do more than let in light. In cooling season, about 76% of the sunlight that hits standard double-pane windows comes inside as heat, according to the Department of Energy. Closing your blinds or curtains during the hottest part of the day keeps that heat out and takes some pressure off your A/C.

How much can it help? The Department of Energy says medium-colored draperies with white plastic backings can reduce heat gain by about 33%, and highly reflective blinds can cut it by about 45% when used well. Close them on the sunny side of your home in the afternoon and let your A/C coast.

Keep an eye on your usage

Small habits work best when you can see them paying off. As a TXU Energy customer, you can monitor your electricity usage in the TXU Energy app and in MyAccount, get a weekly snapshot email and set up alerts so there are no surprises. When you can see what's driving your usage, it's a lot easier to know which cool tips are working for your home.

Key takeaways

• Cooling is the biggest driver of your summer electricity usage, so start there — in Texas, air conditioning is about 28% of home electricity usage.
• Raising your thermostat 2°F can reduce your usage by up to 10%, and turning it up when you're away saves even more.
• Run ceiling fans counterclockwise in summer, and turn them off when you leave the room — fans cool people, not rooms.
• A smart or programmable thermostat adjusts for you and saves about 8% on heating and cooling on average.
• Closing blinds and curtains during the day keeps heat out and lightens your A/C's load.