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Earth Hour has come and gone, but that doesn't mean we should stop trying to save energy. With Earth Day coming on April 22 and Meralco announcing a 54.55 centavos per kilowatt-hour (kWh) increase this month , we certainly have more reasons to be conscious of energy issues. Unfortunately for us, summer also marks the peak of electricity consumption, especially for those who can't sleep without air-conditioning on hot nights.

If you're worried about your bourgeoning electricity bill this season and are looking for ways to contribute to Earth Day celebrations, try some of these energy-saving tips.

1. Can't leave the house without drying your hair? Try these beauty shortcuts from Cosmomagazine.com.ph: first, towel-dry your hair until all excess water is gone. Then, use a wide round brush as you use the hairdryer to cover bigger areas quickly.

2. Go back to basics: unplug all electronic devices instead of just switching them off, says Dennis Sellers of Macsimum News.com. Get into the unplugging habit especially when you’re leaving the house unguarded.

3. Give your dryer a break and hang clothes to dry. Maximize the summer heat when drying clothes—it’s absolutely free of charge. Should you need to use the dryer, Lata Tokhi of Ezine recommends setting the machine to auto-dry instead of custom drying times.

4. Alternate your electric fan with your air-conditioning unit. You consume less electricity when you use the fan instead of the air-con. Switch on the air-con for two hours at night first, and then switch the fan on after the timer goes off on your AC unit, recommends Tokhi.

5. Keep your fridge loaded so it won’t warm up quickly every time you open it, advises the Consumer Energy Center of California.