7 Ways to Lower Your AC Electric Bill This South Florida Summer

Air conditioning can account for 40–60% of a South Florida electric bill. The good news: most homeowners are leaving real money on the table with habits and settings they can fix this weekend. Here are the seven changes with the biggest impact.

1. Set your thermostat to 78°F when home

Every degree below 78 adds roughly 6–8% to cooling costs. At Florida utility rates, the difference between 73°F and 78°F can exceed $50 a month in a typical single-family home.

2. Use a programmable or smart thermostat

Why cool an empty house? Program setbacks of 4–6 degrees for work hours and sleeping hours. A smart thermostat learns your routine and can pay for itself in one summer. The ideal sleeping temperature is around 75°F — most people sleep better slightly warmer than they expect.

3. Attack the humidity, not just the temperature

In South Florida, humidity is what makes 80°F feel miserable. A whole-home dehumidifier or a system with variable-speed cooling lets you feel comfortable at a higher thermostat setting — and humidity control uses far less energy than deep cooling. Aim for 45–55% relative humidity indoors.

4. Stop feeding the heat from outside

• Keep blinds and curtains closed on west- and south-facing windows during peak sun
• Use ceiling fans (counterclockwise in summer) so you can raise the thermostat about 4 degrees with no comfort loss — but turn them off in empty rooms
• Air-seal gaps around doors, windows, and attic hatches where humid outside air leaks in

5. Keep the filters and coils clean

A clogged filter alone can raise cooling energy use by up to 15%. Clean coils and clear condenser space mean the system moves heat efficiently instead of running longer cycles to compensate.

6. Upgrade to a right-sized, high-efficiency system

If your unit is 12–15+ years old, it’s likely a 10 SEER relic; today’s systems start at 15 SEER2 and go much higher. A properly sized high-efficiency replacement can cut cooling costs by 30–40% — and in South Florida, that pays back fast. Oversized systems are the hidden budget killer: they short-cycle, never dehumidify, and wear out early. Sizing matters as much as efficiency.

7. Schedule regular AC maintenance

Tuned-up systems run measurably cheaper. Book a one-time AC maintenance visit for $169.

Want real numbers? Our free in-home load calculation shows exactly what a right-sized system would save you each month.

The bottom line

You don’t need to suffer through a warm house to cut your FPL bill. Dial in the thermostat strategy, control the humidity, keep the system clean, and let us handle the precision work — the savings compound every single month of our long cooling season.