Sitting in Denver, air conditioning is a luxury not a necessity. Air conditioning is a luxury in Phoenix or Las Vegas, too, but you need to write off a few million house designed under the assumption of continuing cheap energy as uninihabitable without it. If we reduce human living to true "necessities," civilization would look like a factory farm.

As long as we're bicycling and sweltering in our uncooled homes, you can add frequent bathing to that list of luxuries too. Hot water takes a lot of energy. Fortunately, a solar hot water heater is relatively low-tech and easy to build.

Funny you should mention a cold beer. Some friends and I were joking about the value of a cold beer in a Mad Max world. If you could build a hand-powered refrigeration pump maybe you could be the king of Bartertown.