[EricH]

Ether, if I'm not mistaken, Art was doing a simplified version, similar to what an engineering economics professor might do as an in-class exercise. He also neglected inflation. As a matter of fact, as soon as I started reading the setup, I remembered a class I was in last spring, namely, Engineering Economics. Build one transmission line or 2, based on X cost/line and Y capacity--but where are the material/transportation costs?

Does that other stuff have to be factored in? The nuclear power is (or should be) included in the national average, which was also done. Heating of the room depends on large part on both the size of the room and the number (and type) of light bulbs; for my living room at home, one light bulb normally, 2-7 at peak lighting, that is minimal heating. We get more from the people in the room. So that's not a whole lot of heating fuel saved by using incandescent.

As for the light being on 8 hours a day, during the winter, it's quite possible to be up (and in one room) for quite some time, say 5-9 or 10, while it's dark, and another couple of hours in the morning, so easily about 6-7 hours. Stay up late often enough, and you could make a case for 8 hours. It also makes for decent calculations.