JUNO BEACH, Fla. -- With summer here and the heat rising, your air conditioner will need to work even harder to keep the temperature inside your home comfortable and cool. And since cooling the home takes more energy than anything else, it is not surprising that bills are typically highest during the hottest summer months. In fact, air conditioning contributes to more than half of an average home’s summer electric bill.

Florida Power & Light Company’s popular “Top Tips to Save You Money” may involve small adjustments to daily habits, but they are a big help for customers looking to gain more control over their energy usage, help protect the environment, and keep bills as low as possible:

1. Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher with the fan set to “auto” to save money.
2. Install a programmable thermostat to adjust the temperature automatically and maximize your energy savings. It also helps to maintain a comfortable temperature when you wake up or return home.
3. Upgrade to high efficiency lighting. Even if you replace one 60-watt incandescent bulb with an energy-saving compact fluorescent bulb, you could save $55 over the lifespan of that bulb. And if every one of FPL’s more than 4 million customers did the same thing, together it could save the amount of energy used each year by 20,000 homes. 
4. Clean your air filter each month to trim cooling costs and help your unit run more efficiently. If your HVAC unit is 10 years or older, it could be time for a replacement. In fact, through its a/c incentive program, FPL will actually help pay for a new, more efficient unit for qualifying customers who purchase a high efficiency cooling system through an FPL approved independent contractor.  
5. Turn off your ceiling fan when you leave the room. A fan that runs constantly can cost up to $7 a month, depending on size and age.
6. Limit the time you run your pool pump. During the summer, FPL recommends running it no more than six hours a day.
7. Get an Online Home Energy Survey (OHES) – a free, personalized, in-depth analysis of your home’s energy use to uncover energy wasters and give concrete ways to help you save. Fast and convenient, it can be completed 24/7 at www.FPL.com/OHES.

Customers are also encouraged to go online and download FPL’s free summer toolkit at www.FPL.com/summertoolkit where they can learn the basics of energy consumption and access an online library that offers a wealth of energy conservation advice and information. 

Florida Power & Light Company is the principal subsidiary of FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE: FPL), nationally known as a high quality, efficient and customer-driven organization focused on energy-related products and services. With annual revenues of nearly $16 billion and a growing presence in 26 states, FPL Group is widely recognized as one of the country's premier power companies. Florida Power & Light Company serves 4.4 million customer accounts in Florida. FPL Energy, LLC, FPL Group's competitive energy subsidiary, is a leader in producing electricity from clean and renewable fuels. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.FPL.com, www.FPLGroup.com and www.FPLEnergy.com