There’s no need to lose your cool when you get your summer electric bill during the hottest days of the year. Instead, try some alternatives to cranking up the air conditioning when the sun is blazing and it hasn’t rained in days.

1. Install a dehumidifier. If it feels as humid indoors as it does outdoors, there’s too much water in the inside air. If you see water dripping out of the air conditioner or if you have to set it so low that you’re freezing just to reach a comfortable humidity, the dehumidifier will help.

2. Cook outdoors or eat cold food. Salads, raw veggies and fruit make great summer meals, and they don’t require you to turn on the stove or oven, which can make the air in the kitchen too warm. Instead, gather the family for a barbecue and fire up the outdoor grill or serve a cold buffet on extra-hot evenings.

3. Hang bright curtains. Red, orange and yellow tend to deflect heat, so for curtains, those colors are energy efficient. Closing the curtains or blinds during the day will keep the sun from heating up the home you’re trying to keep cool. Or install solar screens or a window tint to let in the light but keep out the heat.

4. Run fans. Ceiling fans with blades that turn counterclockwise pull heat up out of the room while sending a soft breeze down into it, so anyone nearby will feel cooler. Portable electric fans placed in windows facing outward can suck heat out of a room on days when you want to give your air conditioner a break.

5. Run your dishwasher and clothes washer and dryer after dark. Appliances that use heat to operate also throw some heat into the rooms where they are located. So run them during the coolest part of the day, after the sun goes down.