Smart energy policy would seek a balance, encouraging sensible increases in power production and reasonable conservation measures. It doesn't require the contemporary equivalent of Jimmy Carter's sweater. If half the nation's households replaced older lamps with these energy-efficient ones, it would reduce the number of new energy plants needed. Increasing the fuel efficiency of the nation's cars could save 10 percent of the oil we now import. There are tradeoffs in conservation.
Fluorescent light is harsher than incandescent.
Occupants of lighter cars are more likely to be injured in an accident. But consumption also has tradeoffs. Finding more oil and coal means disturbing pristine places on the Earth, such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and putting more pollutants into the atmosphere. Building more nuclear plants means more waste, and we still don't have a good way of dealing with spent fuel. Our society is built on energy.