Some interesting choices - to get the electricity use down, run some things on gas. Why do this and not just install a bigger solar panel to handle a larger load?

Also, we used low power florescent bulbs in our kitchen for a few years. We just switched back because the room was just too dark. Also, these bulbs never lasted as long as the box said they would, and at $15 a go, this turned out to cost more than the electricity they saved.