People are always complaining that prices are going up, but on the radio the other day I heard an ad offering me a complete solar system for nothing down. Wow. Not just one or two planets, mind you, but the complete thing.

I was less impressed when I found out they were talking about some sort of home heating device, but on reflection I don't think I could have found the space for more than a couple of asteroids anyway.

Aside from home heating, solar power can also be deployed to cool down overheated attics, protecting air conditioning systems from undue wear and tear and owners from undue expenses. This is not a problem in my native England, where sightings of the Sun during the summer can be as rare as the arrival of an African songbird adrift of its migration route. Here in California, though, we have perhaps six months of constant sunshine and the cost of home air conditioning becomes a significant burden on homeowners. Other parts of the States are even hotter, for longer.

So here's a company fighting back, with solar-powered fans, at unexpectedly reasonable cost. They also offer "solar tubes", a way of conducting sunlight down from the roof to almost anywhere in the house. The Federal government gives tax incentives to homeowners for such things, so this is an idea well worth considering for more than one reason and definitely worth a look if you want another way to keep household bills down.