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KIRKSVILLE, MO --  

With a heat wave hovering over the Heartland this week, the air conditioning is running fast and furious. Our Fact Finder Team stopped by Ameren UE for some energy saving tips to cut back on the electric bill.
 
The fastest and easiest way to save money is to turn up the thermostat on your AC.

“For every degree that you move it up, you save about three percent and our air conditioning has been running a lot more this year. July of this year compared to July of last year, the number of hours of cooling has actually been twice as high as it was last year at the same time period,” said Annette Sweet, Ameren UE Customer Service.
  
Keeping your air conditioner clean, especially outdoor units, is a must. Any appliances with coils or filters should be kept clean for the maximum amount of efficiency. Other low cost options include caulking and weather stripping.

“When you caulk you're stopping a lot of the air infiltration that comes into your house, which causes your heating or cooling units to run more, so you want to caulk around the windows and put weather stripping around doors, to try to keep in as much cool air and out as much hot air,” Sweet said.

Another way to easier manage payments is by getting on the budget billing option.

“That is something I would recommend to people that struggle trying to meet some of the higher bills of the year, say in the middle of the summer or in the middle of the winter. If you use the budget billing or sign up to go on the budget bill, it allows you to just pay an average bill each month,” Sweet said.
   
 If you do have money in the budget for new appliances, Sweet says this is the year to do it. That's because with the energy conservation push, many tax credits, incentives, and rebates are being offered.