Here in the mid atlantic region of the country, we are right up there with energy costs. Don't know if your power company provides energy audits, but the one we got years ago provided us with some really valid saving options. A neighbor just had his home audited, and hired a firm to do the suggested improvements. He's already seeing savings. We don't run our a/c unit as much as you do, but the firm that installed ours years ago did a super job. The unit is very, very efficient.
Check out big energy wasters like a/c, refrigerators, freezers, hot tubs, etc. Sometimes, they need a little "tweeking" to regain top efficiency. Sometimes they are so out dated, it's more cost effective to replace with newer more energy efficient units.
Barring all of the above, you can also see if you can pay your bills on a "budget"; that is, you pay the same, predetermined amount each month regardless of useage. At the end of your billing cycle you either anti up the shortfall, or, get a credit for too much paid.
Good luck