Does Daylight Saving Time Save Energy

Republicans and Democrats don't agree on much anymore, so when they come together for a similar cause then it must be BIG. I'll let you decide. Both parties want to get rid of springing forward and falling back.

Senate Bill to stop Daylight Saving Time

The bill is in the Senate and if passed by November, it will end DST. If the "Sunshine Protection Act of 2021" passes then we'll stay on Daylight Saving Time for good...as opposed to evil.

Daylight Saving Time Myth

So what is the whole concept behind Daylight Saving Time? For the longest time, I thought it had to do with the farmers and giving them more time in the field. Fake news, and in fact, the opposite is true. The farmers have been the strongest opponent against DST because the lost hour actually hurts them and the cows (like humans) don't adust very well to the change.

The concept of Daylight Saving Time is thought to begin with Benjamin Franklin. He wrote a letter to a French journalist in 1774. Traci has the rest of the story here. In the U.S., DST didn't start until WWI when Congress decided to give the idea a try in 1918 in an effort to save energy.

They passed the law in the same act that created standard time zones, but that was repealed the following year. During the next big war in 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt tried a concept that he called "War Time." He wanted to permanently set the clocks an hour earlier all-year-round to save energy.

Does Daylight Saving Time Save Energy

After the war ended in 1945, most states adopted a summer-only time change. It was supposed to save energy but as the farmers could have told them, it's not true. In fact, because of air conditioning, we could be using 1% more electricity.

Here's my takeaway, until all this spring forwarding and fall backing comes to an end, just remember to set your clock ahead on Saturday night. Besides, you don't want to arrive at church, as the pastor is saying the closing prayer...do you?

On second thought, don't answer that.