Cooling

How to Keep Your Cooling Costs Under Control This Summer

An Ontario summer does not have to mean a shocking hydro bill. From smart thermostat settings to simple habits and the right equipment, here is how to stay cool without overpaying.

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Reviewed by Matthew Arbab, Managing Director, Aire One Heating & Cooling

When the temperature climbs in Ontario, so does the hydro bill, and cooling can account for a large share of a home's summer electricity use. The good news is that a big chunk of that cost comes from small inefficiencies you can fix. With a few smart thermostat habits, some no-cost adjustments around the house, and the right equipment where it counts, you can stay comfortable all summer without dreading the bill. Here is how to keep your cooling costs under control.

Start With Your Thermostat

Your thermostat is the single biggest lever on your cooling bill. A few simple settings make a real difference:

• Set it as high as is comfortable. Natural Resources Canada suggests around 25°C when you are home and 28°C when you are out or asleep. Every degree warmer can trim cooling costs by roughly 3 to 5 percent.
• Do not overcool. Setting the thermostat colder than usual does not cool your home any faster. It just runs the system longer and wastes energy.
• Let it back off when you are away. Nudging the temperature up a few degrees while the house is empty adds up over a summer, with no comfort lost.
• Use a programmable or smart thermostat. It makes those adjustments automatically, learning your schedule so you save without thinking about it. Many Ontario rebate programs help offset the cost of a smart thermostat.

Free Habits That Lower the Bill

A cooler home is cheaper to cool. These cost little or nothing and the savings show up the same month:

• Close blinds and curtains on the sunny side of the house during the day, so the sun is not fighting your AC.
• Use fans to feel cooler. A ceiling or box fan uses far less power than an air conditioner and lets you raise the thermostat a couple of degrees. Fans cool people, not rooms, so switch them off when you leave.
• Cook and dry outside the heat of the day. Run the oven, stove and dryer in the early morning or evening, or grill outdoors, so you are not heating the house and cooling it at the same time.
• Seal the leaks. Weatherstrip drafty doors and windows so the cool air you paid for stays inside.
• Shade the outdoor unit. An air conditioner in shade runs more efficiently than one baking in direct sun.

Work With Time-of-Use Rates

If you are on a time-of-use or ultra-low overnight rate plan, when you cool matters as much as how much. Electricity costs less during off-peak hours, so a little planning goes a long way:

• Pre-cool your home before the afternoon on-peak period hits, then let the thermostat ease up during the most expensive hours.
• Run the AC harder overnight and early morning when rates are lower, and coast through the pricey mid-day stretch.
• Check that your rate plan fits your habits. The right plan for your household can shave money off every summer bill.

Where Bigger Savings Come From

Humidity plays a big role in summer comfort and cost too. For more on that, see our guide on how humidity affects your air conditioner's performance.

The Ratings Homeowners Actually Check

When it is time for an upgrade, tune-up or new system, it helps to trust the team doing the work. These are the current scores for the Aire One Markham head office on the platforms Ontario homeowners rely on:

Ratings shown for the Aire One Markham head office, verified July 27, 2026.

Upgrade for Long-Term Savings

Habits and settings go a long way, but if your air conditioner is old, undersized or running constantly, the biggest savings come from the equipment itself. A modern variable-speed system, or a heat pump that cools efficiently in summer and heats in winter, can meaningfully lower what you spend to stay comfortable. Aire One helps homeowners choose and size the right system, and points you to the rebates you qualify for.

An efficient, right-sized system is the surest way to lower cooling costs for years.

The goal is simple: a home that stays comfortable through the hottest Ontario days, cooling that runs efficiently instead of endlessly, and a summer hydro bill that no longer catches you off guard.

Complete Home Comfort From One Team

Lowering your cooling costs is part of whole-home comfort, and Aire One handles all of it from our Markham headquarters: air conditioners and ductless systems, heat pumps, smart thermostats and indoor air quality equipment, plus furnaces and central heating for the winter, and maintenance plans to keep everything running efficiently. That means one team to size, install and service the system that keeps you comfortable year-round.

We serve Markham and the surrounding communities, including Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Vaughan, Scarborough, North York and Toronto.

Frequently Asked Questions

About the author

Matthew Arbab

Managing Director, Aire One Heating & Cooling

Aire One has been working on Ontario homes since 1990 and is listed by Carrier as a Factory Authorized Dealer employing NATE certified technicians. I would rather tell you that a five dollar filter is all you need than sell you something you do not.