If you’re like everyone else I’ve ever met in my life, you like to save money whenever you can. That’s easier said than done, though, when the hot dog-days of summer drive up the energy costs in your home. Fortunately, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has some great tips for ways you can noticeably cut back on your energy bill.

One of the best ways to cut back on energy consumption and save money is to understand what are the biggest consumers of electricity in your home. The largest energy users in your home are: your A/C, your pool, your water heater and your lights. If you were to only focus on these 4 areas you could make a significant impact on your bill.

• A/C – You should set your A/C to 78 degrees, your fan to auto and get a programmable or even a smart thermostat. Make sure to clean/replace your air filters regularly. Make sure the unit is clear from debris outside and that the coils are clean. You should turn your A/C up to at least 82 degrees if you are going to be gone for any extended period of time.
• Pool – You should only run your pool pump for 6 hours a day in the summer and if you ever replace your pump you should consider getting a dual speed or variable speed pump.
• Water Heater – Your water heater keeps your water hot 24 hours a day so that it’s always ready for you at any time. If you are able to get by with your water being a couple degrees cooler, you could turn your water heater down and enjoy some savings. You should also simply turn your water heater off if you are going to be gone for any extended period of time.
• Lights – They should all be swapped out for energy efficient bulbs such as CFLs and LEDs and you should turn them off when you don’t need them.

FPL customers also have a fantastic new tool available to them: the new FPL mobile app.  The mobile app allows you to take control of your energy usage in the palm of your hand. Here are just a couple of the ways the app can help you save money:

• Monitor your energy usage – Compare your energy usage across three months or a full year, including average temperature data, so you see how weather impacts your bill.
• View your projected bill – Understand what your bill is projected to be, so you can take steps to help lower it before it arrives.
• Report an outage – Check your power status and, if necessary, submit an outage report so FPL can work to get your lights back on safely and as quickly as possible.
• Stay informed with alerts – Receive important information about storms and bill pay reminders.

FPL is so serious about helping their customers save money that they are going to give away an ecobee3 lite smart thermostat (retailing at $169) to one SunshineDad reader. This amazing thermostat will help you take control over the number one energy consumer in your home. Please note, you must be a current FPL customer to be eligible for this prize. Enter below for your chance to win! (This contest is over, congrats to Chris A for winning)

With just a few simple changes you can cut down on your energy bill and free up some money to buy things you’d rather spend your money on, like chocolate.

This post is sponsored by FPL