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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.
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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.
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