Solar water heating second. Solar can heat up to 75% of your hot water needs. This can cut back on your gas bill. You may even be able to get a larger system to help heat the house.

Then look into solar electricity. With a grid tied system, you don’t need batteries, you can start with a fairly small system that can offset your electric bill, or you can buy a larger system that will produce most or all of your needs.

There are federal, state, and regional incentives available, depending on where you live, you may get the government to pay for as much as half of the system.
References :
altE Store – http://www.altestore.com/store/
US tax incentives – http://www.dsireusa.org/

And of course, commonsense behaviors like turning off everything that you’re not using at the moment.

With the goal of saving money, I’d suggest solar hot water long before solar electric, if your area is suitable for that.

It is possible to install your own panels, either thermal or electric, but you may not necessarily save money doing do. Solar is becoming a commodity business, and there’s competition in this recession. After I installed my own panels, the very next year, my neighbor’s brother got some installed, and the net cost, including installation, was actually less than mine. I’m not unhappy because it was quite a learning experience.
References :
The page discussing our setup is at http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/roderick/solar/photovoltaic.html

But anyways, I installed the solar water heater myself. It’s fairly easy, and the trick is to find a good deal on the equipment. However, once you have the right equipment, you’ll need to find the right solar power information. Awhile back I found some good books that will help you with your solar projects. It’s been extremely helpful for me, so I hope it works out for you too, especially if you’re looking to try and save some money from your power bill. Check out the sources section below.
References :
http://tapwink.com/solar-power-information.php

Allthough prices are coming down on PV panels, the equipment as a whole is still expensive and therefor the electricity you produce is expensive.
Without subsidies, I am sure that solar power is only economic for properties that do not currently have an electricity supply and it would cost a lot to have it laid on.

With our own situation in southern Spain, the system I installed myself for 8,000 Euros has probably produced around 500 Euros worth of electricity in 5 years – not a good investment. But it would have cost over 50,000 Euros to get electricity laid on.

The first step for anyone considering using solar power should be to cut down on their electricity use by using low energy bulbs, efficient appliances, and not using anything unnecessarily.
Maybe taking those steps is all you need to do.
References :
www.solar-facts.com