Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Is Daylight Savings Time Energy Efficient?


The practice of Daylight Savings Time (DST) requires setting clocks forward one hour from Standard Time during the summer months, and back again in the fall to efficiently utilize natural daylight.

Forward or Backward?    

The saying, “spring ahead, fall back” will help remind you how to adjust your clocks. DST starts in the spring, so you lose one hour. During the fall, you will set your clocks back one hour to regain that time. To see when clocks will change for DST in the future, click here.

Why Does DST Exist?

70 countries use DST because:

. Greater use of natural daylight.
. Conserving energy that goes into artificial lighting.
. Decrease the amount of accidents on the road so they’re lit during high traffic times.

Does DST Save Energy?

Since its conception in Germany during World War I, DST has been linked to saving energy, but there’s still controversy as to whether or not this theory remains valid. In 2008 the U.S. Department of Energy study claimed that daylight saving time reduces annual energy use by 0.03%. DST is also linked to reduced accidents on the road, and robberies according to the, Brookings Institution. 

A joint study between Transport Research Laboratory and University College of London predicted that fewer people would be injured or killed in road accidents if there was one hour of daylight that was transferred from the morning, to the afternoon. During the winter, the demand for electricity and gas skyrockets, therefore countries like the United States, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, and other regions of the world follow DST to conserve energy.

Arguments against DST states that it’s dangerous for people leaving their homes when it’s dark, and other studies found that there’s an increase in heart attacks when setting your clock forward one hour in the spring. Regardless, adjusting your energy usage during DST is important so you don’t see an unexpected spike in your energy bills this winter. 

To learn more on how to conserve energy, the Energy Experts recommend the following blogs:


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