Shut that door!

[Workingman]

Here's an idea from the French (I know, I know) but stick with it.

Shops using aircon must keep the outer doors shut in summer, and when using heating in winter, do the same. Not all the time, obviously, that would stop shoppers, but have them closed when people are not going in or out. Think of all the shops there are and how much energy could be saved - good for the planet and bills.

They also aim to turn off neon or other lighting for advertising signs between 01:00 and 06:00. I would go further and make it from 22:00 to 07:00. Very few people are out and about at these times to see them anyway. 24 hour places such as airports and rail stations are exempt.

It is actually frightening how much energy is wasted on such things.

[TheOstrich]

I certainly think restricting "advertising" lighting is a good idea; if you think of the sheer volume of displays in our city centres, an overnight ban would save a lot of energy, and presumably would be easy to accomplish simply by fitting timers.

[Workingman]

Wouldn't it just.

Who reads them, anyway? The late night revellers either want a date or a taxi home. They couldn't give a stuff about 'Buy your car' or 'Get your pension here' and even if they did they would not remember the next afternoon when they woke up!

[Suff]

Agree WM both for the doors and for the lights. In Sweden you don't see doors open in the winter, nobody wants to be frozen and nobody wants to pay for the power to heat it.

[Workingman]

I have just been to Asda and the automatic doors are locked wide open. The cool from the store is wafting out into the walkway so that is where the bus queue is instead of outside where it is a partly sunny 21 °C and humidity of 89%.

It's a mad, mad world.