high power usage without reason

[sanctimonious-saliva]

the fan on my sony laptop started wheezing and running hard and hot

I checked processes in task manager but could not find any unusual programs

the CPU usage was averaging 14%

My understanding is that 2% is normal.

Is this power usage due to a hidden program running?

I have vaio with win 7 pro 64

[ApPy10]

By wheezing you mean the fan of the Sony laptop started making noise? If that is the case then the fan might has a worn bearing and replacing it would be a good idea. Also, check in the BIOS setting if there are any options to turn off the turbo features of the laptop. You can try to contact Sony Vaio support in your area and check what they have to say about it. By the way what is the model of the Sony Vaio you are using?

[sanctimonious-saliva]

By wheezing you mean the fan of the Sony laptop started making noise? If that is the case then the fan might has a worn bearing and replacing it would be a good idea. Also, check in the BIOS setting if there are any options to turn off the turbo features of the laptop. You can try to contact Sony Vaio support in your area and check what they have to say about it. By the way what is the model of the Sony Vaio you are using?

The model is VPCF1390X

I got it about 2 years ago. the fan started making noise a few months ago.

The specs say :Processor Speed : 1.73GHz1 with Turbo Boost Technology11 up to 2.93GHz1"

The fan sound and high power usage occurred when I turned it on in the daytime on a moderately warm day. When I turned it back on later that night, these things did not occur and power usage was down to about 2%.

[ApPy10]

That makes sense, the fan will obviously run fast when it needs to cool down the laptop from overheating. As you have said, in the afternoon it is quite warm day, so you laptop might be suffering from overheating problem and to cool it down you can try to buy a laptop cooler or try and open to remove all the dust from inside the laptop and see if it runs cooler.