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WAUWATOSA- The heat puts a real strain on your air conditioner and TODAY'S TMJ4's Lacey Crisp looks into how to keep your power bill down while staying cool.

Kasongo Kalumbula and his family are taking the heat in strides.

"We're out here in the lovely 20 foot swimming pool!" said Kalumbula.

He's doing everything he can to keep his family cool, and not blow his budget.

Lacey Crisp: "Are you concerned about your electric bill this week?"

Kasongo Kalumbula: "Always.  Not just this week, but especially this past week since it's been so hot."

Kalumbula and his family turn off the air conditioning during the day to save money.  "We turn it on modestly.  We figure out the best time to do it, especially at night if it's too hot to make sure he's sleeping well."

We Energies said there are several things you can do to lower the temperature, your bill - and still stay safe.

"It can make a big difference just keeping the drapes drawn and the shades shut," said Cathy Schulze of We Energies.  "Just trying to keep the sunlight out, that can help keep your house cool."

Other things you can do:

-if you have a programmable thermostat, turn the temperature up to 80 while you're gone, and set the timer to cool just before you get home.

-keep your house a few degrees warmer than usual, but use fans to circulate the air.

-spend time in the basement if you can.

The one good news during this heat wave is that your rates haven't skyrocketed with the temps.

"Our rates did remain flat this year.  Our rates for 2012 are the same as they were in 2011," said Schulze.

Which is good news for Kalumbula and his family.

Schultz reminds TODAY'S TMJ4 that while we may not be happy when we get our next electric bill, remember back to this winter when it was warm, and you didn't have to spend as much to heat your house.

We Energies is urging customers that safety comes first, if you can't keep cool in your home, there are cooling shelters open.