As for whether 24-hour stores should be required to reduce their operating hours to save energy, aren't there dozens of energy-saving measures that could be implemented without this debate? Too much energy is being wasted on debate!
For example, put doors on refrigerators. Pictures of the products can be affixed to the outside. I wish all stores with refrigerated goods would at least cover their fridges at night. In summer, when I walk into a convenience store, it often feels like the whole place is just one big refrigerator. If they put doors on the fridges, they could use less energy for cooling and there would be less competition between heaters and fridges in the winter. Another idea: Reduce the number of vending machines. What the heck are vending machines doing right next to 24-hour convenience stores anyway?
I see a lot of drivers napping in their cars with the air conditioner and engine running, be it at a convenience store or elsewhere. I suggest that colorful global-warming information fliers be made available at City Hall and other public places, such as on the Internet, and that citizens be encouraged to put such fliers on the windshields of cars left idling (especially when the owner is absent or napping) to shame the drivers.
All workplaces should be required to cover their windows in summer to keep the sunlight out during daytime hours. Another thing, what is it with shops that leave their doors wide open during the hottest day of summer and coldest days of winter while simultaneously running the air conditioners? Isn't that a bit of a lost cause? There should be a law against that. At the very least, a long plastic (eco-curtain) could be hung instead.
A lot could be done. It seems that in every direction I look, I get a new idea. Debate is not a bad thing when it is publicized in the media to get people like me riled up.