Harnessing the sun's natural energy - a bright way to save energy and money.

Before installing solar panels on their Dartmouth home in June 2007, Russell and Debbie Deveau had always been energy conscious people.

They line-dry their clothes, switched to energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs and have composted for the past 30 years.

If it's too cold to bike to work, Russell hops on the bus.

Like many Nova Scotians, the rising cost in fuel had the Deveau's concerned about the coming winter - especially when last year proved to be a financially worrisome time for them.

"You'd get a tank of oil and it'd cost you $500!" Debbie says.

Russell had always been interested in solar power, but their need for a new furnace, along with anxiety over rising oil costs, kick-started them into giving it a try.

Before the panels were installed, they used about 2,700 litres of oil per year.

A year later, using about the same amount of energy, they use only 1,300 litres with the help of solar heating.

That means the Deveau's now enjoy 52 per cent savings on their annual oil bill.

Neighbours express interest in the Deveau's new solar panels which sit neatly atop their house.

"They say, 'It looks great. It sounds great. But that's a big price.'" Russell says.

The Deveau's took advantage of the rebate available through Conserve Nova Scotia's Solar Heating Rebate program to help with the cost of installing their solar panels.

"If you plan on staying in the same house for a long time it's well worth it," Russell says.

He also points out the benefit of a higher resale value as a result of the energy upgrades should the homeowner wish to sell.

On why he thinks people should use solar energy instead of oil: "The environmental reason is the biggest one - less of a footprint on the earth by using clean energy."

Energy upgrades in their future include the installation of energy-efficient windows and a new roof.