Hot tips on how to save on your air-conditioning bill

The U.S. Department of Energy says that the cost of heating and cooling a house typically amounts to 56 percent of the utility bill. Given that, I'm lucky that the air-conditioning in my house has been broken the last couple days. Unfortunately, according to a repairman we called in, it'll be fixed sometime today. But on the bright side, my back soon won't stick to my chair any more.

Anyway, for those of you who aren't lucky enough to shell out $450 to get your air-conditioning fixed, I've culled the Internet to bring you the following tips for saving money on your home energy costs.

Change your air filters. It's probably obvious, but if your filter is clogged with dust and lint, your air-conditioner has to work even harder.