It’s no secret that air conditioning is a hot commodity during Florida summers.

When June, July and August come rolling around, AC units all across Southwest Florida start putting in overtime, keeping the region cool.

The combination of heat in the 90s and humidity levels riding creates a concoction that blasts you in the face as soon as you walk out the door.

“Stay cool as much as we can,” said Jill Goyette.

During these times, our air conditioners are our best friends. To make sure your AC keeps running, you need to treat it like a best friend, checking up on them, caring for them and making sure they’re okay.

If you do that, HVAC experts say you have a much better chance of making it through the summer heat without a breakup in your AC friendship.

“I’ve got it at 78 degrees,” said Jay Caywood.

“79°,” responded Goyette.

While the recommended temperature is 78°, any degree lower will add an additional 8% to your cooling costs, according to LCEC.

While we escape to cooler air indoors, these machines run nonstop. So do the technicians working to keep them going.

“It is very busy,” said Gordon Durant, owner of Freedom Residential.

It’s that time of year when the calls keep coming and coming and coming at the Freedom Residential office.

“People trying to get out ahead of what we know is going to be ultimately a very hot and long summer,” Durant said.

One of those people that recently called up an HVAC company is Caywood.

“I had to replace the condenser, which was about half the cost,” he said.

He lost the outside portion of his unit, called a condenser, at his house on Sanibel during Hurricane Ian.

The cost just for the condenser was well over $3,000.

“It’s a different beast down here,” Caywood said.

You don’t need to tell that to Goyette, who heads up a team of landscapers in Fort Myers. Anyone working out in the heat knows the number one rule of summer in Florida.

“They stay well hydrated,” Goyette said.

Just like hydration helps to keep us going, there are things you can do to keep your AC humming away. The biggest is maintenance.

“Two times per year,” Durant said. “The machine needs to be looked at two times per year. Proactivity is way cheaper than reactivity.”

Here are some other steps you can take to help keep your AC running:

• Replace the filter once a month
• Schedule routine maintenance at least twice a year
• Keep an ear and eye out for things that look or sound out of the norm
• Use a programmable thermostat to help reduce the workload
• Set the thermostat at 78° to keep cooling costs down
• Save now to lessen the burden of repairs or replacement of HVAC units

If you don’t and your machine breaks down during a week like this, you could be stuck sweating — not just for hours, but days.

“We’re that backed up where it could take a couple of days,” Durant said.

If you’re worried about blackouts from too much energy consumption during the hot summer months, you can rest easy.

LCEC told ABC7 that they’re not near a critical load. If that ever happens, a spokesperson said it’s during winter months in the midst of a cold snap when more people are here and turn on their furnaces.

For more tips and tricks to save money during the summer months, click here.