Day Light Savings Time Spring 2008
What You Need to Know About This Annual Event
Many people have forgotten that due to changes that Congress made that the change that affects most of the United States is no longer occurring in April, and is now earlier than it used to be. An amendment within the House Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended the length of Daylight Saving(s) Time by four weeks. All states observe Daylight Saving(s) Time, except for Hawaii and Arizona. Indiana did not begin to observe Daylight Saving(s) Time until 2006. Other countries in the world also observe some form of daylight time saving.
When Does It Begin?
Daylight Saving(s) Time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. As usual, at 2 a.m. local time in most areas of the U.S. the clock is supposed to move ahead one hour. This means that at what would be 2 a.m. standard time, move the clock ahead to 3 a.m. daylight time.
Why Does It Exist?
The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) says that Daylight Saving(s) Time saves energy. On average the extra hour of daylight reduces the amount of energy used to light homes and businesses. USDOT believes that the amount of energy saved only equates to one percent, but over the period that Daylight Saving(s) Time spans, this is considerable. However, there are those that oppose the practice. Farmers, who normally begin their days early in the morning, are unable to do so because during Daylight Saving(s) Time it is not light outside until later in the day. This affects farmers who use their children to help run the farm, and must hire outside help, because children must go to school at the start of daylight hours.
Reminders and Preparation Tips
As a reminder, when Daylight Saving(s) Time begins and ends is the best time to switch the batteries on household smoke detectors. This insures that they continue to function throughout the year. It is a good idea that for those gadgets and electronic devices such as VCRs, DVRs, etc. manufactured prior to implementation of the new start time for Daylight Saving(s) Time that you adjust the clocks prior to the 2 a.m. start time. Also remember that if you have to adjust manually these items for the early start and they are setup to adjust automatically on the old start date (first Sunday in April), you will have to adjust the time again.
Sources:
US Naval Observatory
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/daylight_time.php
Web Exhibits Daylight Saving Time
http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/
Published by Yona Gold
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