This Halloween, Protect Yourself from Spooky Spirits – and “Boo-st”...

As zombies and ghosts prepare to invade your neighborhood this month, it's a great time to protect yourself from spooky spirits - and from higher energy bills.

October is National Energy Awareness Month, and Tampa Electric wants to remind customers that with a little common sense - and maybe a few tricks - you can have the treat of saving a few dollars on your power bill.

Here are a few tips that scream energy-efficiency:

• Banish vampires - "Energy vampires" are electronics and appliances that constantly use electricity, even when they are not actively being used, such as cell-phone chargers or televisions. Unplug the energy suckers and enjoy some savings.
• Beckon creepy creatures - Consider placing solar lighting outside of your home to keep the path to your door well-lit for trick-or-treaters. Use the power of the sun - it's free.
• Drive away drafty ghosts - Seal windows and doors to prevent cold or warm air from seeping in and save on heating or cooling costs.
• Make a witch's brew - Use air fryers, instant pots and toaster ovens to save energy and money. They help to avoid heating the kitchen, which helps to reduce cooling costs.

Customers can uncover hidden energy drains - known as phantom loads - by using Tampa Electric's Phantom Energy Calculator. Creep over to TampaElectric.com/EnergyCalculators and click on "phantom load" to scare up some savings.

Need more savings? Tampa Electric offers free online audits to review other tricks and treats to save money on your power bills.

Tampa Electric has been encouraging energy conservation for nearly 50 years, performing more than 950,000 energy audits to help customers use electricity more efficiently. The company aims to help residential and business customers reduce overall energy use and, ultimately, their energy costs.

Tampa Electric offers more than two dozen programs to help residential and business customers save energy and money. Learn more about them at TampaElectric.com/Save and TampaElectric.com/BizSave.

Tampa Electric, one of Florida's largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves more than 860,000 customers in West Central Florida. Tampa Electric is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.