ABC News

It's not often that a homeowner looks forward to a bill arriving in the mail. But Chad Tromblee eagerly awaits one bill in particular.

"I can't wait to get it and see what the electric bill is," he told ABC News. These days, his electric bill has shrunk as quickly as a puddle on a hot sidewalk. For the month of April, it totaled just $16.54.

Tromblee, who lives with his wife in a three-bedroom home near Albany, N.Y., hasn't turned off the refrigerator and washing machine or switched off his lights. He drove his electric bill into the cellar by putting solar panels on his roof.