Hello newsgroup!

I am trying to reset a specific area in a BufferedImage that has been
set up using an Alpha chanel (TYPE_INT_ARGB). The idea is that I have
to refresh a certain area an therefore I want to clear it before I
redraw it. Currently I am using the following code:

In the constructor:
           this.image = new BufferedImage(this.getWidth(),
this.getHeight(), BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_ARGB);
           this.dirtyHack = new BufferedImage(this.getWidth(),
this.getHeight(), BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_ARGB);

In the paintComponent method:
           image.setData(dirtyHack.getData(bounds));

This works, but it uses a lot of memory. Is there a cheaper way of
doing this?

Thanks for your help!