There are a lot of things you can do in order to maximize the performance of your AC. First of all, you should ensure that the outdoor unit is facing an open area so that there is no blockage in the air flow. Secondly, you need to see that there is no blockage in the drainage pipe and therefore, you should place it a foot above the ground so that insects cannot get in or kids start pulling them. Thirdly, the indoor unit should not be placed on the wall which gets direct sunlight as it can get heated up. Fourth, you should use blinds, curtains or sun films on the windows to reduce the heat input. This will ensure that the AC will take less time to cool the room and thereby, saving the power quite significantly. Fifth, you can install a false ceiling as the heat for the ceiling will not radiate that much directly in the room. Sixth, you should open the windows and let out the hot air from the room using the ceiling fan you have or the fan mode in the AC before closing the windows and starting the cool or auto mode. Last and the most important step to increase the performance of the AC is to clean the filter regularly. Unclean filter obstructs optimal cooling, and the efficiency goes down by 10%.