Spring Forward, Save on Electric Bills

[Valerie S. Johnson]

By Valerie S. Johnson

Many parts of the U.S. have suffered a rough winter. But thanks to federal law, spring will come early this year. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 changes the date that the U.S. switches to Daylight Saving Time (DST). On the second Sunday in March (3/11/2007), we will 'spring forward' three weeks earlier than usual, and then 'fall back' one week later on the first Sunday in November (11/4/2007).

The official status of DST was an on again, off again affair throughout the twentieth century, often dictated by the existence of a big war or an energy crisis.

The latest shift provides everyone (except those in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and most of Arizona, where DST is not observed) with an extra four weeks of longer days and shorter nights.

Translation: lower electric bills for consumers. Downside for those with international contacts: The EU and most countries observe DST, but on a different schedule, and some nations such as China and Japan do not ever adjust their clocks. Result: lots of confusion around the world.

There were two types of professionals who were able to make money from the Year 2000 situation: computer programmers and lawyers. The IT pros had lots of code to rewrite to accommodate the Y2K date change, and the commercial attorneys had lots of software agreements which needed disclaimers of liability for the big bang that never actually happened. However, it doesn’t seem like there are similar opportunities to make a fast buck before the sun sets in March this year.

As a matter of semantics, it’s "Daylight Saving Time," not "Daylight Savings Time." Technically, nothing is "saved" and some argue that it should be called "Daylight Shifting Time." But that special word "saving" is so much more politically pleasing.

[tinapbeana]

actually, DST is starting 3 weeks earlier and ending 1 week later, but the dates above are still correct.

and may i just point out that from a hardware and software perspective, this has proven to be a NIGHTMARE in the computer world. it's been referenced as a mini-Y2K and, unlink Y2K, is actually causing issues. many patches have already been released, but sometimes software that is exceedingly old doesn't grasp the update and the times are still wrong, leading to time-driven processes to be late or skipped altogether. not an issue for most home computer users, but a serious issue forsome businesses and universities.

oh, and BTW for folks that have electronics that automatically change the time for you: you might want to check the manufactuer's website to see if there is anything you need to manually do to make this change.

[nancy58]

Never thought about other electronic items in the house that automatically update...wonder if the cable co. will be sending a signal to change the time? Maybe I'll call them to check. Thanks for the heads up about the "minor electrical items.