Why is Daylight Savings so early this year?

Question

What is the reason for daylight savings time?

Answer 1

some govenor started it or something-its so early this year basically to make people happy

Answer 2

Ben Franklin was the first person attributed with the idea of daylight savings time while in Paris as a diplomat in 1784. Nothing came of his idea until WWI though.

First of all, our country did not adopt a standardized time until the railroads were connected between Cananda and the United States in 1883. Every town basically kept their own time using a prominent clock (courthouse clock), and it was based per sunlight hours.

Germany and Austria were the first countries to try out Daylight savings time in an effort to conserve fuel in 1916. We didn't make it a law in the U.S. until 1918. The law that went into effect officially created the timezones we have today, AND set the time for summer (or Daylight Saving Time (DST)).

People hated it, and it was repealed in 1919. Most people back then got up a lot earlier than we do, and went to bed earlier as well. In WWII, Roosevelt instituted year round "War Time" (in essence DST) until 1945. After that, it was up to the state whether they wanted to implement it or not. This caused problems for TV airtimes, airlines, railroads and more; so in 1966, LBJ finally implemented the Uniform Time Act of 1966.

So in essence, we use DST to conserve fuel by lengthening the days. It's estimated that we save about 1% each day overall as a nation.
We are also setting the clock so to speak with the rest of the nation.

CITED FROM:http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/e.html

As to why it is so early this year, per the Boston Globe:

US Representative Edward J. Markey says he has devised a way to combat crime, economic stagnation, car crashes, and the winter blahs, all while saving energy and costing taxpayers nothing.

Next Sunday , Americans will simply move their clocks ahead one hour, three weeks earlier than normal, under a law Markey pushed through Congress that moves daylight saving time for the first time since 1986.

You can read more at: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/03/04/a_new_daylight_is_dawning/

Answer 3

Starting in 2007, most of the United States and Canada observe DST from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, with transitions typically at 02:00 local time. The 2007 U.S. change was part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005; previously, from 1987 through 2006, the start and end dates were the first Sunday in April and the last Sunday in October, and Congress retains the right to go back to the previous dates once an energy consumption study is done. Since 1996 the European Union has observed DST from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, with transitions at 01:00 UTC.

For a broader answer as to the reason for daylight savings time, please read the link I provide you with. Thank you.

Answer 4

It has something to do with energy conservation. Supposedly, having 3 extra weeks of daylight savings will conserve 1% of power usage.

Answer 5

To save energy. You won't have to turn a lamp on at 6 pm. The new law was created in 2005 and takes effect this year. I think it'll seem like Spring earlier if it's light outside longer into the evening.
Personally, I wish they'd keep it one way or the other.

Answer 6

It's 3 weeks early this year because the government paid millions of dollars for a study that showed inconclusive evidence that we might save up to 1% on our electric bill. What the study didn't take into consideration is that although you won't have to turn your lights on until an hour later in the evening, you'll be turning them on an hour earlier in the morning.
Our tax dollars at work!

Answer 7

So we (as a country) can save more money. We can save atleast $250,000,000 in that 1 week.

The equation:
$150 (an estimate of average usage) / 30 (days in month) = $5 / 24 (hours in a day) X 7 (days in week) = $1.5 (for 7 hours of electricity, the amount we're saving)

$1.5 (what we're saving) x 200,000,000 (ESTIMATED: for everything needed to be powered in America: schools, houses, biz, industries) = ~3,000,000

Now of course, I nor anyone else here knows exactly how many places needed to be powered, and of course prices vary in different states, but you can see that we can save AT LEAST $250 million. Why??? Read the below...

People won't need to use 1 hour of electricity a day for 7 days. So we're saving 7 hours of electricity because it will be lighter outside at night, and persons will use the outside light rather than lights in side for that extra one hour at night. Confusing.

Answer 8

It was originally created: I think by certain GOVERNMENTS to give working people more time to do chores & run errands while it was stilll light out. I thought it was a natural occurence: I didn't realise it was made up GOD! Some countries don't acknowledge it.

In THIS year's case: Because the Groundhog didn't see his shadow so we have an early spring. I noticed it too.It's March & we're already running our A/C 's here :((

Answer 9

by
Bob Aldrich, Webmaster
(and Former Information Officer)
California Energy Commission


Spring forward...Fall back....

It's ingrained in our consciousness almost as much as the A-B-Cs or our spelling reminder of "i before e...." And it's a regular event, though perhaps a bit less regular than the swallows coming back to Capistrano.

Yet in those four words is a whole collection of trivia, facts and common sense about Daylight Saving Time.

In 2005 and 2006, Daylight Saving Time begins for most of the United States at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of April. (See chart below.) Time reverts to standard time at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday of October.

Beginning in 2007, Daylight Saving Time is extended one month and begins for most of the United States at:


2 a.m. on the Second Sunday in March
to
2 a.m. on the First Sunday of November.
(See chart below.)
The new starts and stop dates were set in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.


Change Your Clock & Change A Bulb!


The National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommend that consumers change the battery in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when we change the clocks for Daylight Saving Time.

While you've got the ladder out to check your smoke detectors, why not change a bulb?

Switching to energy efficient bulbs in your ceiling fixtures could save you $30 a year per bulb on your electricity bill.

Energy efficient lighting is particularly important in the fall when Daylight Saving Time ends and the days are shorter.

The latest generation of energy-saving lighting includes compact fluorescent bulbs that fit in standard light sockets and provide pleasant, uniform light.

Low-energy halogen or LED lighting is also becoming widely available.

Visit www.energystar.gov or www.fypower.org for information on lighting rebates and discounts.

Daylight Saving Time - for the U.S. and its territories - is NOT observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and by most of Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona).

Indiana, which used to be split with a portion of the state observing DST and the other half not, is now whole. In the past, counties in the Eastern Time Zone portion of the state did not observe DST. They were on standard time year round. A state law was passed in 2005 that has the entire state of Indiana observing DST beginning in April 2006.

Indiana isn't the only state that wanted to change daylight saving time. California asked for federal "approval" to move to a "year-round" Daylight Saving Time in 2001-2002 because of its energy crisis. (See below.)

According to Mining Co. Guide to Geography, DST is also observed in about 70 countries:

"Other parts of the world observe Daylight Saving Time as well. While European nations have been taking advantage of the time change for decades, in 1996 the European Union (EU) standardized a EU-wide "summertime period." The EU version of Daylight Saving Time runs from the last Sunday in March through the last Sunday in October. During the summer, Russia's clocks are two hours ahead of standard time. During the winter, all 11 of the Russian time zones are an hour ahead of standard time. During the summer months, Russian clocks are advanced another hour ahead. With their high latitude, the two hours of Daylight Saving Time really helps to save daylight. In the southern hemisphere where summer comes in December, Daylight Saving Time is observed from October to March. Equatorial and tropical countries (lower latitudes) don't observe Daylight Saving Time since the daylight hours are similar during every season, so there's no advantage to moving clocks forward during the summer."

Answer 10

To save energy...supposedly.

Answer 11

So I can have to go through having the sun in my eyes in the morning while taking the kids to school again a few weeks sooner. It is a conspiracy!