That is because there is no air conditioning. Our climate is so temperate here that neither heat nor air conditioning is required at any time of the year. The average daily high temperature, from coldest month to hottest month, ranges from 76 to 86 degrees. Yesterday was atypical, with outside temperature approaching 90, but May is the "hot" month. June through September is the rainy season and temperatures will moderate. BTW, during the rainy season, just like Camelot, it only rains at night. Really. Fantastic electrical storms (I counted 70 lightning flashes a minute during one storm with absolutely continuous thunder) at night, clear, cloudless days. Perhaps 15 days a year there is rain during the day. The last drop of rain that fell here was September 30, 2010.

I may have over-stated the power draw of my computer. It does go into sleep mode after 10 minutes when not being used. I really haven't been able to get a handle on how much power it consumes, either in-use or in sleep mode.

Nearest thing I have to that is an LED light over the entrance that is motion-activated and stays on for 30 seconds unless someone stands in front of the door and moves occasionally. Since it is battery operated and recharged by solar cells, I don't think it is having a large impact on my electric bill.

As I explained in Jason's post, unfortunately that isn't a workable alternative. However, it is unusual to have more than 160 watts (4 of the compact halogens on one switch) of lighting on at any time in the whole house. Three of the four outside walls are glass floor to ceiling, and natural light fills the entire house during the day. From 7am until 7pm (or later) there is never a light bulb lit. After dark, usually just a single 40 watt reading lamp.

tanstaafl.