Every window is oversized, the better to let in extra sunshine and keep the lights switched off. The bulbs that do come on are energy-saving fluorescent bulbs, and the McRee adults can quote the exact wattage of every one of them. With no shortage of firewood available on their property, the McRees keep it going all day during the winter and load it up to small-bonfire size at night. On an overcast Tuesday, between rainstorms, the temperature in the McRee living room is still a comfy 72 degrees. I threw my best wood in the fire and stoked it up, and cooked us out of here.
Air conditioning is a little dicier.
The McRees have a window unit but are pretty selective about when they use it. Once or twice, they've vacated the smoking upstairs and slept on the much cooler ground floor. But nighttime temperatures drop much more quickly in the foothills than the valley, so stifling heat rarely lingers through the night even during the hottest times of the year. We ran two loads of laundry, a load of dishes, and ran the air conditioner for two hours. And it sucked the batteries down to 23.9 voltage.