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Every one agrees that conserving energy while saving money has taken on an increased urgency in this day and age. With high fuel costs, global warming, and a tight world economy, people are getting more concerned with bills. Oil consumption needs to be decreased and people need to conserve energy. What can be done to cut down on energy consumption without paying for it by paying higher costs, with a comfortable life style? Moving back into caves, using wooden torches and eating raw meat are not really options most would consider!

One easy, acceptable solution started years ago that has been constantly improving is solar water heaters. These are now more efficient than 5 years ago, have good storage capacity and work everywhere. The price is constantly dropping and they become more effective with global warming! Heating water can account for as much as 50% of an electricity bill for even a medium size family, those hot baths, washing clothes and such all add up.

Using a solar may have higher installation cost, but it lasting over a year (and most will last several), it should pay for itself though lower operating costs. Solar Heaters are reasonably small and lightweight; fitting easily on most housetops to prevent taking up yard space. In the winter, some places may need to supplement them with a traditional heater, but that only for a short time. If you use a traditional heater, turn it on low and use less cold water to mix, this will save on water as well as electricity!

Something else often overlooked by most are properly using roof vents, yet almost all homes already have them! Open the vents in the summer to remove the excess heat, letting it escape (hot air rises). This allows AC to run efficiently by having less hot air to cool! Then just close the vents during the winter to trap the heat in your home, cutting down on heating costs as well. Screens keep out the bugs and birds! You change the vents on the first day of summer and the first day of winter, or whenever is appropriate for your area, just remember to open and close them at the proper time!

Lights, another major area of energy expense for many households. Use florescent bulbs instead of incandescent ones. New models are now made to fit regular sockets, no added installation! Like the solar heater, the initial cost is slightly higher. But they produce much more light using less than half the amount of electricity, lasting three times as long. One thing that should be noted

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