How does daylight savings save energy?

Question

The government supposedly moved up daylight savings because the idea is that the more sunlight, the lower energy cosumption. Is this reasoning just that lights will not need to be turned on for an extra hour? What about idea that air conditioners will run more when the sun is out?

Update:

The reason for starting daylight savings hundreds of years ago (or whenever it was)makes sense, but the government just moved it up to March 11 this year because supposedly it will save energy. How exactly will it do that?

Answer 1

Daylight savings time was invented in and for England, where lights and heating are needed after dark, and there was no air conditioning at the time it was invented.

Answer 2

Since there is more sun at night we are less likely to turn on the lights in the evening when I guess most people turn everything on.

According to the article in the URL below (which includes the history starting in WWI, WWII, 60s, 70s, and 80s), something like 1% gets saved (maybe). The article also make a reference to the fact that people might be driving (and using gas more because of it).

While not a lot, 1% here, 1% there does add up along the way. And I would like to think we've all learned there has got to be better way (not a necessarily a tree-hugger, just want us to be independent)

I would think the what the Aussies are doing would do more (ban incandescent light bulbs where possible) . That would be worth 50% off the top for electrical usage at least and we could all stay in bed.

Answer 3

I don't see way daylight savings time saves energy.

I still turn the lights on all the time because I live in a dark apartment.

It is darker in the morning so lights are still needed in the morning. It really doesn't make any sense.

My education on origination of daylight saving time was during WWII people worked in factories all day long then came home and worked in the fields growing food to eat. Most of the processed food went to the war effort. Therefore people needed the daylight to work their gardens.

Of course, not many people have gardens as their primary source of food anymore.

There is still the same about of daylight no matter what time the clock says when the sun comes up or goes down.

The whole thing of losing an hour of sleep and adjusting my biological clock is a pain.

I like the answer from Alaska. I lived there for 25 years and daylight saving time is the stupidest thing in the world there. There is so much daylight one hour change in time makes no difference after March. It is light when you get up and it is light when you go to bed. Even if you go to bed at 1am and get up at 4am.

So much for my feelings on daylight savings time. I would invite anyone to give facts on what energy efficiencies are gained through the use of daylight savings time.

Answer 4

I have no idea. What I was told in my high school history class was that they came up with Daylight Saving Time during one of the World Wars so they would have more daylight for fighting (or something like that). I guess it was quite a few years later that they started making the twice-a-year time change a regular thing.

Whatever the case, I think the time change is pointless. Even if it does save electrical energy, I don't think it's worth it when it messes up peoples' sleep patterns and stuff. And up here in Alaska, the time change makes the sunset time drastically different. For example, sunset on March 9 this year is at 6:33 p.m. On March 16, which is after the time change, sunset is at 8:54 p.m.--an hour and 21 minutes later! Our days get shorter or longer very quickly up here, and the time change totally messes things up. It's not quite as bad in the Lower 48, but it still messes things up.

Answer 5

Moving the clock has nothing to do with running air conditioners. We still get the same amount of heat and sunshine. The idea is that the lights in the house come on later in the evening.

Answer 6

no longer in my residing-yet-i'm able to discover my morning paper extra easy and function extra daylight hours for utilising whilst in simple terms waking. little ones extra seen @ college initiate. All secure practices. evaluation origins of D S T and Brits "wartime & double wartime". till now the introduction of time zones interior the U. S., required by skill of the will to stop prepare wrecks, we does no longer have needed it. by skill of how, Mexico makes use of DST ,yet on extra or less comparable to our previous schedule. base line-my utilities are secure in my hire. J