Turning off the lights is a key part of my program for energy conservation.
It's key because turning on the lights is so easy to do -- it represents an easy way to waste energy.
There are a great number of lights in any given home, so this provide many opportunities for wasted energy.
Saving energy by shutting lights off is just a flick of the switch, so it's a breeze to save.
Before you go turning on and off lights, just keep in mind these guidelines:

• Incandescent bulbs should be turned on when needed and off when not.
  
• Fluorescent bulbs should only be turned on when needed for 10 to 20 minutes because it takes considerably more energy to start them up in the first place.
  

I know grown adults who absolutely cannot turn off lights, even when they leave the house.
Instead, they pay for this luxury in the electric bill.
I also know people who have wired up lights to burn 24 hours a day in specific portions of their home.
Again, they pay for this absurd luxury.
It can be argued that electricity is cheap -- and it is in many parts of the country.
Nevertheless, if we continue with our wasteful ways, we'll really feel the economic pinch when electric rates climb.
It's easy to find areas across the country where one electric rate is 200% of another, so it isn't hard for me to imagine a 200% rate increase either.
Turning on lights only when you need them and shutting them off when they're not in use is simple and highly effective, so make it part of your conservation of energy program around the house.
If you want to see what electric energy conservation really looks like, just take a peek at off grid families who must generate and store their own.
You won't find them wasting any electricity because generating it comes at such a dear price.