I am up in the north country and have two small PV systems and SHW, along with a wood boiler that is linked with my oil furnace. I dont have a hot water storage tank but its on my long term list.
There are better incentives for PV and hot water in NH then in Maine, the best source for funding links is this one
http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?re=1&ee=1&spv=0&st=0&srp=1&state=NH (it works for all states). As usual you need to read the fine print but SHW is probably the best bang for the buck with the state incentives and federal rebate. There are also incentives for pellet boilers (30% up to $6,000). It would be worth looking into soon as the legislature is looking at pulling out of the regional greenhouse gas program that funds most of the rebates. Before you do anything make sure you town has implemented the property tax exclusion for renewable energy, otherwise the increased property taxes may offset any savings.
The best investment is deep energy retrofits after you have done the basics. Insulate the basement walls and sills plus make sure you have R38 in the attic. After that, if your interior plaster is rough consider ripping it out and retrofitting 1" of foam on top of the studs after sealing any air leaks in the existing wall cavity. While you are in there you can probably upgrade the electrical circuits as older homes usually are a hodgepodge. Property taxes are usually based on square footage so insulation rarely raises your taxes (a wood shed will).
If you want to mess with wind, realize that the odds are greatly against you, the majority of small windmills have major issues and the harsh climate in NH is going to make them even more unreliable. If you have money to burn and dont care about the payback, its probably a interesting way of getting frustrated. Thats not just my opinion, many of the long term small wind experts, have the same opinion, if you want to read and eyeopener this is interesting
http://www.wind-works.org/SmallTurbines/An Open Letter to Inventors by Mick Sagrillo.pdf
I have two small PV systems in northern NH and if they are installed right, there isnt a lot to break but the payback is lousy even with the rebates. My SHW system covers my domestic hot water needs for about 6 months a year so no need to pay for hot water or keep a furnace on line during that period. I had 135 degree water coming off the panels yesterday on a 25 degree day, so they panels even help out during the wnter if the sun is out. I believe you can DIY a SHW installation so you can save even more money, although you may need to do a shading survey or have someone do it for you.
There is an energy cooperative group in Plymouth NH
http://www.plymouthenergy.org/ , that may have spawned some similar organizations in your area. They do solar hot water "barn raisings" where everyone goes out and installs hot water systems at members houses. They get evacauted tube systems at dealer cost so its great way of getting a system installed for low cost. They have done enough systems that theri standard design is bug free. They are"peak oilers" so you may or may not fit into their politics, but they do have a good approach at acting locally.
There is a NH solar tour day every year in the area usually in October and usually a conference at UNH in the spring. Might be worth keeping and eye out for them.
