Efficiency and the effect on the overall economy matter.

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Upgrading the grid would also have a direct effect on consumers by saving families money through increased efficiency and reliability, while also helping utilities avoid blackouts and restore power quicker when they occur.

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The theorem says that the distribution of property rights, provided they are clearly assigned and transactions costs are low, has no effect on economic efficiency, because people can negotiate their way to the efficient position.

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For efficiency's sake and because of the likely positive spillover effect for a whole village, FXB takes on 80 to 100 families in a single area at one time.

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"Russia will have the right to opt out of the treaty if qualitative and quantitative parameters of the U.S. strategic missile defense begin to significantly effect the efficiency of Russian strategic nuclear forces, " Mr. Lavrov told the AP.

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This, in effect, is what many companies end up doing, though it is often framed as increasing efficiency and cutting costs.

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"In terms of energy efficiency and conservation, just installing a smart meter isn't going to have much effect, " says Greg Guthridge, a smart-grid consultant with Accenture.

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