Hi Jimbo,

pause does not put the chip in any kind of sleep state. It is busy counting. And from page 520 of the data sheet, it says at 48 mhz, the chip will use 19.5 ma. So, at 24 mhz, it should use half that, which is equal to about what you are seeing. To use minimal power put it in a sleep mode for as long as you can, and just do periodic work with the chip awake.