To solar or no to solar?

A couple weeks ago, while watching a documentary on the history of Earth Day, I decided I needed to do something to try to minimize our house's carbon footprint. I thought, Ok, we are going to go solar no matter what the cost may be.
Well, it was not so simple... after visits from 4 different companies, each one of them selling different systems... it was decided that our house had/has too much shade in order to be a good candidate for solar energy. I considered solar hot water heaters as well, and even those (considerably smaller) panels would not be able to garner enough heat, especially during the winter, in order to make a noticeable difference in our energy consumption... also, a friend raised the point of the system being on our roof, and the possibility of it being struck by a branch during hurricane season.
So then we considered insulations... again, different types. I was sold on the foam beneath the house, when I heard that it can potentially damage our old house wood flooring... then I thought, Ok we will do the walls then. Blow cellulose into them. Again, potential complications with old windows, old electric cords...
Looks like there is nothing we can do, really- very frustrating. We did get our roof insulated (cellulose) a few years ago, which has helped immensely, especially during the hot months. We keep windows open as much as we can, and no AC or heat in between temperatures of 62 and 82. But that still leaves us with appliances, water heater, dishwasher...
I was also told to change light bulbs wherever possible, so I have been changing them little by little (the light bulbs have become much better these days, many more choices, which is very nice).
After those visits, I purchased a timer and an insulation for the water heater, and I am considering changing it to a tankless water heater- need to research more on that. Consider we switch, though; that would mean our 5-year-old water heater would end up in the dump, creating more trash and waste. So maybe we are better off sitting tight (with insulation) on this one as well...
Another result of the visits with the solar companies was that all of a sudden we became more aware of the energy consumption of our appliances. I am especially frustrated with the dishwasher, which has no energy-saving settings, and does not give you the option to rinse in cold water... the machine goes on for over 2 hours, and uses hot water all the way... result: I am doing dishes by hand in cold water for now. I am not sure how long that will last, by I am happy to give it a try and see if it makes a difference, whether in terms of energy usage or time saving.
I also bought a second self-standing clothes-line, so that I can let the clothes dry in the sun and not use the dryer at all if I can. That one is really a no-brainer. Just hang the clothes and watch them dry in a few hours- no energy wasted.
I also have resorted to sweeping instead of vacuuming. My Sears (I will never buy Sears again!) vacuum machine is so loud that it literally hurts my ears, so I am happy to sweep and get the arm work-out.
So there is the result of the solar ''audits''. Not much we can do in our shady old house. But, think of it this way: all that shade is giving us good sun protection, and that naturally brings our house temps down during the summer...