Does anybody know why day light savings time was so early this year?

Question

Wintertime?

Answer 1

The new starts and stop dates were set in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

One of the biggest reasons we change our clocks to Daylight Saving Time (DST) is that it saves energy. Energy use and the demand for electricity for lighting our homes is directly connected to when we go to bed and when we get up. Bedtime for most of us is late evening through the year. When we go to bed, we turn off the lights and TV.

In the average home, 25 percent of all the electricity we use is for lighting and small appliances, such as TVs, VCRs and stereos. A good percentage of energy consumed by lighting and appliances occurs in the evening when families are home. By moving the clock ahead one hour, we can cut the amount of electricity we consume each day.

Studies done in the 1970s by the U.S. Department of Transportation show that we trim the entire country's electricity usage by about one percent EACH DAY with Daylight Saving Time.

Daylight Saving Time "makes" the sun "set" one hour later and therefore reduces the period between sunset and bedtime by one hour. This means that less electricity would be used for lighting and appliances late in the day.

We also use less electricity because we are home fewer hours during the "longer" days of spring and summer. Most people plan outdoor activities in the extra daylight hours. When we are not at home, we don't turn on the appliances and lights. A poll done by the U.S. Department of Transportation indicated that Americans liked Daylight Saving Time because "there is more light in the evenings / can do more in the evenings."



While the amounts of energy saved per household are small...added up they can be very large.

In the winter, the afternoon Daylight Saving Time advantage is offset by the morning's need for more lighting. In spring and fall, the advantage is less than one hour. So, Daylight Saving Time saves energy for lighting in all seasons of the year except for the four darkest months of the year (November, December, January and February) when the afternoon advantage is offset by the need for lighting because of late sunrise.

A report was released in May 2001 by the California Energy Commission to see if creating an early DST or going to a year-round DST will help with the electricity problems the state faced in 2000-2001-2002. You can download an Acrobat PDF copy of the staff report, Effects of Daylight Saving Time on California Electricity Use, Publication # 400-01-13, (PDF file, pages, 5.2 megabytes).

The study concluded that both Winter Daylight Saving Time and Summer-season Double Daylight SavingTime (DDST) would probably save marginal amounts of electricity - around 3,400 megawatt-hours (MWh) a day in winter (one-half of one percent of winter electricity use - 0.5%) and around 1,500 MWh a day during the summer season (one-fifth of one percent of summer-season use - 0.20%). Winter DST would cut winter peak electricity use by around 1,100 megawatts on average, or 3.4 percent. Summer Double DST would cause a smaller (220 MW) and more uncertain drop in the peak, but it could still save hundreds of millions of dollars because it would shift electricity use to low demand (cheaper) morning hours and decrease electricity use during higher demand hours.

The model used in the Energy Commission's study is now being used by the U.S. Department of Energy in a larger national study of daylight saving time. It's unknown when that study will be completed. Dr. Kandel, of the Energy Commmission, has also published a short paper on the Elecetricity Savings From Early Daylight Saving Time beginning in March 2007. Her paper is available below.

In May 2001, the California state legislature sent a Senate Joint Resolution (SJRX2 1) to the White House and Congress asking that states be allowed to extend Daylight Saving Time year round. The resolution can be viewed at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sjrx2_1&sess=0102&house=B&author=karnette. Congress and the White House did not act on the request because of the world-changing events of September 11, 2001. No new legislation has been passed in California since then.

Answer 2

1. Politics
2. There is no savings because people are now getting up in the dark, so they are using more energy. Plus it's colder when they get up so they are turning the heat on sooner.
3. Politics
4. The amount of daylight is the same no matter what time your clock says.
5. Politics

NOTE: This is being done by the same idiots who think man is the cause of global warming no matter how much evidence and the UN Report itself says that man is only a contributor NOT the cause. If they can't even deal with sunlight, how can they be expected to "reverse" something else over which man has no controls.

Answer 3

Since it stays light outside longer, energy is saved. That's the theory. Trying to save the Earth from global warming before it is really too late.

Answer 4

The government changed the dates in an effort to save energy.

Answer 5

Apparently congress or something decided to save energy by making daylight savings time early this time. Honestly, I have no clue how that worked. Anyway, yea it was to save energy.

Answer 6

To save energy!

Answer 7

Energy Policy Act of 2005 passed by Congress.
Starts earlier, ends later.
Screws up computer outlook calendar meetings worldwide!

Answer 8

To save energy by optimizing daylight usage.

Answer 9

I actual have abode windows XP and my computing device rolled over to sunlight reductions time only nice. desktops no extra effective than 4 - 5 years previous must be nice. On older desktops one might might desire to alter the time manually via going to regulate Panel.

Answer 10

because the us government thought that they would save energy on lightbulbs, it is just the United States though. i think it is a good idea