Any reputable Solar company will not suggest that you install solar unless your SDGE electric bill (excluding gas) is in excess of $125/month. So I agree, as do most in the industry, that solar does not make sense in your situation.
I live in an area that does not have access to SDGE gas service. My wife and I with one infant child were running SDGE bills in excess of $250/month without using the A/C (the unit was non-functional). To reduce my SDGE bills down to a more reasonable level, I would have had to put in new insulation ($3K+), replace the single pane windows ($8K+), put a new energy efficient A/C and air handler ($10K+), take cold showers, and possibly install a propane tank/run gas lines, and replace water heater, dryer, stove-top to run on propane ($expensive).
Instead (and for less money), I installed a solar system for $23K (after tax credits) that reduces my SDGE bill to $0 and paid less than $1,500 to replace my A/C with one of those out-dated, but brand new, energy inefficient R-22 A/C units that works with my air handler (luckily I’ve got a family connection in the industry that was able to get one of these units for me). I now use as much energy as I want without pause and have locked my $0 SDGE bill in for the next 20+ years. Perhaps in the future I’ll make the energy efficiency home improvements you suggested and use the savings to charge an electric and reduce my monthly payment to the local Chevron station.
Not all buyers are the same, but if deciding between two identical houses, I’d definitely assign a premium to the one without an SDGE bill.
