Why worry about squandering helium? The universe is full of the stuff. Our own Sun is 23.8% helium by mass. That's a huge amount! Yes, it's pretty hot helium, but think about this for a minute: the main thing helium is used for on earth is arc welding, where it's used as a shield to protect the weld from atmospheric contamination. It's not incorporated into the weld in any fashion, so a lot of energy gets wasted by heating up helium instead of metal. If welders could use preheated helium from the Sun, all the energy could go into the actual weld! I see a Nobel Prize in my future for this glorious idea! Or at least a MacArthur Genius Grant.