Solar flares outside my house

I bumped into one of my apartment complex's maintenance workers this afternoon. I asked him about the efficiency of my air conditioner, and he told me to be sure to change my filters monthly, keep my blinds closed, as well as change my cooling habits.
Here's the suggestion: Turn the thermostat up to 80 degrees first thing in the morning when we leave for work, and leave it there until the afternoon when we get home, then move the thermostat back down to 75 degrees. At that point, the a/c has been relaxing a bit during the morning and early afternoon hours, and so it makes for a less costly bill. The problem, of course, is that Sydney and I are home during most of those hours, because, of course, I do not have a job. Still, and all the same, we're going to try it tomorrow and see how uncomfortable we get before I have to turn the thermostat down.
Other than that, the maintenance guy basically implied that the high cost of power was a side effect of the loft apartment.