There are still some off grid folks around here. They use fossil fuels for heating stuff (cooking etc) You can have all the hot water you want from the sun most of the time. That is actually the only thing that really makes sense financially since it is fairly cheap to install and low maintenance.
Anyone with a PV system is either off grid or off on a crusade of some sort. I doubt anyone ever saved a dime if they are honest in their accounting.
