During these hot summer days, you may feel like cranking up the air conditioning to stay cool. But before you touch that thermostat, NBC Augusta has some tips that can help you stay cool and keep some cash in your pocket.

NBC Augusta met with air conditioning specialist, Wayne Joiner, to see mistakes people make while trying to beat the heat. He showed us the right ways to bring your electric bill down.

The first thing you can do is simple: change your filter once a month.
It's an easy process to save you twenty percent on your electric bill.

One big mistake most people make is turning the thermostat way up when they leave to keep the unit from running. Then they come home in the evening and the house has absorbed the day's heat. They turn the thermostat way back down. This takes longer to cool your house and uses more energy.

The best thing to do is turn the thermostat up just a little bit, then bring it down when you get home.

Joiner says many people don't pay attention to their air conditioning units. It needs to be serviced once a year.

"Freon needs to be monitored, the condition of the condenser coil needs to be checked to see if its stopped up. That can cost you a lot of money. A stopped up condenser coil is nothing but a power drain. It's not doing the work it needs to and costing you extra money that you don't need," said Joiner.

You should also keep grass and debris from growing around your AC unit. It can block airflow, causing your AC to work overtime.