Rio, 4/22/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Energy company, Light, has begun free installation of solar panels and small water reservoirs in some 200 homes in the cities of Nova Iguaçu and Duque de Caxias, in the area of the state known as the Baixada Fluminense. The beneficiaries are low-income families who will reduce their electricity bills by some 30% with the equipment, say experts. The project, called "The Era of Solar Energy," seeks to reduce the use of electric heaters which are used in showers throughout Brazil. The heaters are always the villians in attempts to reduce consumption as they use large amounts of energy. Light will spend R$2 million on the project. Another goal is to improve services in areas where people often bypass the official energy companies and make their own, illegal and dangerous, connections to the electrical system. (AB)