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Costs: Cooking while
reducing summer cooling bills
Solar cookers can dramatically reduce a home’s
cooling needs during hot Arizona summers. For every dollar spent
on indoor cooking fuel, electricity costing about $.50 is required
to cool and dehumidify an air conditioned home. Solar cookers not
only use no electricity or natural gas, but they don’t heat-up
the house.
The initial cost of a solar
cooker depends upon its size manufacturer and sophistication.
Store bought models range in cost from $100 for camping sizes and
up to $250 for larger versions.
The cost of homemade cookers depends largely on the builder’s
resourcefulness – new materials, for example, cost more than
used. Some do-it-your–selfers use only cardboard box, newspaper
for insulation, aluminum foil and a piece of glass or plastic.
Others include hinged aluminum reflectors, spray in insulation,
and tools for cutting metal to make the inside box. Other builders
even place their cookers on old rotating television stands for
easy adjustment as the sun moves across the sky.
Generally plan on spending $25
to $100 in materials to make a solar cooker that reaches adequate
temperatures.
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