> I am curious about how one would go about powering a house by solar 
 > power and still use regular appliances and not DC like I see in some 
 > magazines and about how much I could expect the conversion equipment 
 > to cost. I'd also like to know if there is any way to solar power a 
 > first floor apt with a western exposure or if it would be worth it 
 > at all for the time being.
Kyle,
 From what I've read in HomePower magazine, it appears like going 100% AC, 
using inverters, is the way to operate today. Twenty years ago, most AE 
households used mostly DC lights and appliances because of the inefficiencies 
of the inverters of the day.
It sounds like you have the 'consumption' part of the equation in hand if 
you've gotten your electric bill down to $20.00/month. It would be 
interesting to experiment with solar power, even on your 'appartment' scale. 
I think I'd start with a decent-sized PV panel, charging a 12 volt RV 
battery. Use the battery to operate a couple of lights, a small TV, or a 
laptop computer. Be sure that those appliances are ones that you actually USE 
on a daily basis.
Doing the above will give you some hands-on experience with a PV system, 
maintaining batteries, etc. You'll also gain an appreciation for how much 
useful energy can be provided by such a system and how it relates to 
consumption. That is, you'll learn that a night of heavy computer use must be 
followed by a good sunny day or there won't be any computing the next night. 
While we all know that in the abstract, there's nothing like hands-on 
experience to give you a real 'feel' for it.
--- FLAME v1.1
---------------