Thxs for responding. I don't claim to have the answers we need to optimally Powerdown-- just hoping to prod people along to hopefully form a workable consensus.  We all know infinite economic growth is impossible, therefore, the advertising agencies should be willing, if Peakoil aware, to turn off night-lighting of billboards.  Eventually, they will confront a cost/benefit ratio that will force them to turn off the night-lights anyhow.  Might as well get ahead of the game.  The smart companies should be PV or windmill powering their signs now.

A true Powerdown program will spread the pain equally among all people.  This is the basic premise behind ASPO's Depletion Protocols.  For example: if taxes were directly tied to total BTU usage for home, food, and car.  Below a certain BTU minimum you would get cash back to further enhance personal Powerdown, anything above this minimum would rapidly scale to be extremely punitive.  This would force people to quickly scale down the amount of personal sq. footage that requires energy to heat, light, and cool, and to minimize senseless appliance excesses.

A good practice to save energy is to do what I call the 'Stevie Wonder'.  If you declutter your house so that you can navigate safely to find things-- it is amazing how well you can do learn to do tasks with open eyes in very low wattage lighting or even darkness.  Rheostat light switches are heartily recommended by me.

My house looks dark most of the time because I try to get the major chores done while the Sun is shining.  My biggest problem is my girlfriend [who refuses to believe or even discuss Peakoil with me], but she is slowly coming around everytime the power bill comes.  Our biggest vice is the old above-ground backyard spa [220v 3-phase wiring, 300 gallons], but damn she looks good in a swimsuit-- I call it our own personal Thermo-Gene Collision! :)  :0  ;} Lights out, of course!

Bob Shaw in Phx,AZ  Are Humans Smarter than Yeast?