Q: How can I keep my home cool and save on utilities this summer?

A: There are a number of ways to keep cool and save money. Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher. You’ll save 6 percent to 8 percent on cooling costs for every degree above 78.

When you leave for more than four hours, such as leaving for work, bump up the temperature about 4 to 5 degrees – or you can shut off the system.

When leaving for vacation, bump the temperature up 4 to 5 degrees to eliminate humidity (Don’t shut the system completely off).

You can run ceiling fans while you’re in the room – shut them off when you leave the room. Fans cool people, not furniture. Close your blinds during the hottest part of the day; keep the heat outside.

Ensure your attic insulation is sufficient and your duct work is leak-free.

You can also set the time on your pool pump to run about eight hours in the summer.

Additional items to consider to improve energy efficiency are placing weather stripping around windows and doors, making sure you have good insulation, sealing your duct work, having a  home energy audit to find deficiencies and working with Tampa Electric on an energy planner for peak usage.

— Cherie Jacobs, spokesperson for Tampa Electric