KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Friday’s heat is pushing a lot of us to crank up the air conditioner hoping for some relief, however, that can be pricey.

Friday was certainly a blistering hot day, putting a strain on air conditioning units that have been working around the clock all week. The Knoxville Utilities Board has some tips on how you can save money while trying to stay cool.

“Right now this time of year, you should keep your thermostat as high as you comfortably can,” Harley Bryant with KUB said. “When it’s 98 degrees keeping your thermostat at 78 isn’t really that practical because you’re not getting as much cool as you want to have. Utilize your ceiling fans and other fans as much as you can inside your home to keep the air moving.”

Bryant also mentioned that simply opening and closing exterior doors can cause your air conditioning unit to cut on.

“The less frequently your unit is cutting on, the less energy you are using. Honestly, you’re going to be using a lot of it anyways to keep yourself cool but the more you can minimize the unit kicking on and off will help,” he said. “You want to kick on do its job and cut back off before it has to cut back on again.”

KUB understands that it may seem uncomfortable, but keeping the thermostat at a warmer temperature will actually help you save as much money as possible.

“For every degree under 78 you can look at 3% more on your energy usage and cost,” he said.

There are other ways to keep cooler in your home; you can use ceiling fans and other stand alone fans, as well as keeping your curtains closed.