After over 20 years off the grid, we don't do the math anymore. If we're in green, we're happy and can wash clothes and use the microwave or water the horses.

We have a 450 gallon cistern in a shed and the well water is pumped directly into that, and we have a separate water pump under the house. We have a step up inverter for the well and a bank of 10 or 12 batteries- I forget. We will probably exchange them from a new set of batteries this summer because ours are almost 12 years old now and have a hard time holding power when it's really cold.

We have a generator back-up for the system and it's really not that complicated. It's a small system- I can't remember the numbers- we have a small solar panel on top of the shed and a few more bigger ones that are bolted down but can be moved up and down manually, depending on the sun and the season.

We get our best electricity days in winter- I'm not sure why.

I like it. We've had to replace the batteries once in over 20 years, and we equalize the batteries a couple times a year.

I love living this way. I don't have power lines anywhere near us, and we never have to pay for electricity, except for basic maintenance. I live in a valley high in the mountains, and our nearest neighbors are all solar too. If someone tried to erect power poles and electrical wires near any of us, it would definitely be a problem.

Some people obsess over the solar and have to know exactly how much power is collected from the sun each day. It's all 120, except for the step up inverter for the well. I like knowing that I'm not chained to the electric company and I have a sense of independence I never would have had if I had stayed in the city.

I like knowing how much water we use, how much water the horses drink. I have a small solar panel system to electrify the fence- I need to put some up in the barn too.

It really is cool to know how much electricity we do and don't use, approximately. If the inverter has a green dot, I'm happy. The water pump below the house uses too much electricity, but we've dealt with it for a long time. People tell you that you have to watch out for "phantom loads", but we don't do that. We turn out the lights when we're not using them, but everyone should be doing that anyway.

I love living on solar. I can not BELIEVE how much people pay in water and electricity bills. It's so NOT necessary. People think I'm weird because I chose to live this way. We had a solar guy set up the system in late 90's, and it takes a little more attention than bleeding electricity from the power poles and being billed accordingly.

When it's super cold, I have to have the back-up generator. The only "thing" we don't have but would like is a heater of some kind for the horses' water. Breaking ice every morning is a bitch, but we found some plans that would keep it a lot warmer and not frozen solid.

We have a small propane fridge (I would love one of the newer ones that don't take much electricity), but what we have works. The fridge we have is from the seventies- it used to be in an RV. Freezer space is an issue, but I think after 20 years we could manage an upgrade, hopefully this summer.

Only three things have ever not worked with solar- it has to do with sine waves- we had an old receiver, but it would not work with the system. One microwave we've used did not jive with the system and we had to get another one. One washing machine, a newer model at the time, with lights and digital settings also does not work correctly with our solar system. I think it would work fine if it weren't for the sine wave problem. I have my eye out for an older washing machine, less digital.

And we have a satellite for internet (line of sight to the tower on a nearby mountain). We don't watch tv anymore, but we've been through a couple of different satellites for tv, until we just didn't want a tv anymore. It's loud and obnoxious!

I showed the system to my father, a city man, and he couldn't believe that we could live on solar electricity. He wouldn't believe it was true until I took him to our neighbors to see how they live on solar too.

I don't think I'll ever be fit for city life again. I hope we grow old and die here, never having to move to an urban area. I hear that you can attach solar to your house in addition to the regular power lines.

I don't ever want to have to use an electric company again.

Oh, and we equalize the batteries a few times a year and we don't have a clothes drier- anything that heats or cools takes a lot of energy, and we're mindful about how much we use. It's a way of life now, and I love it!