The suggestion of an attic fan is a good one. We do not have AC and do not miss it because we use the attic fan during the summer.
But that might not work with your wife’s allergies since the attic fan does cause the air to move.
If there are rooms that you have lights on often, during the day – you might consider light tubes. We had one installed in the dressing area of our master bedroom… an area with no natural light. We’re considering a few more – in interior an interior powder room, for example… Free light when the sun is out. They can route these really easily through the crawl spaces.
As far as the orientation of your roof. Our main surface is NW… Not optimal. But our neighbor (with the same orientation) just had roof panels put on – their meter is spinning backwards. The panels HAVE improved. However, trees, etc would be an issue. (Their house is a 2 story, on a mesa.) Their payback will be in 7 years with all the rebates. After that – free electricity for quite a while. In other words – even if your roof isn’t due south – you can get a good system.
