COOLING your home in the summer can add hundreds of dollars to your monthly energy bill.

Air conditioners are expensive to operate, but that expense is unavoidable in any warm part of the country.

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If you have a central air system with an outdoor coil, one mistake could be drastically increasing your cooling costs.

Entrepreneur and TikTok user Nick Drom recently posted a video of himself cleaning the exterior and interior of his air conditioner condenser.

He explained that units clogged with dirt and dust work less efficiently and consume more energy to churn out cool air.

The dust also essentially works as insulation, trapping heat inside the unit that should be escaping.

As a result, dirty AC condensers can add hundreds to your bill in the summer, according to SafetyKing.

To remedy this and save money on energy, Nick picked up a foam cleaning spray designed for AC units.

Similar products sell for under $10 at Home Depot, and deep cleaning your AC condenser can help cut your bill by as much as 50%.

Before opening up his condenser and starting the cleaning process, Nick made sure the AC was turned off so he could work on it safely.

After coating his AC with the foam, Nick rinsed the unit with a hose to push as much debris out as possible.

Thoroughly rinsing after applying the foam is critical because some cleaners are corrosive and can damage your air conditioner.

As he washed the unit from the inside out, visibly dirty water rushed out of the air conditioner.

“This is something you need to do often, or at least have someone else do,” Nick advised.

EnergySaver, the US Department of Energy’s consumer advocacy wing, recommends cleaning your air conditioner at least once per year.

In addition, EnergySaver recommends cleaning your air conditioner’s filters at least once every two months during seasons that it’s in use.

Other ways to reduce your energy bill

Using energy, especially during peak hours, causes stress on the power grid and ultimately drives up electricity bills.

However, there are ways to avoid higher costs while staying cool.

By improving your home’s insulation, you can reduce your energy bill by up to 20%.

Other simple tricks like closing the shades can reduce heat by nearly 33% according to the Department of Energy.

Energy Saver estimates you can save 10% on cooling costs by turning the temperature up by 7° to 10° for eight hours a day, such as when you’re away.

And households can save more than $100 annually by unplugging appliances that consume electricity even when turned off.

We compiled more tips on how to save on your energy bills.

Here’s how much running a fan overnight will cost you.