2008 Woodie Awards
Head into holiday with annual shift in sunlight
Tomi Parrish
Issue date: 3/6/07 Section: Viewpoints
- Page 1 of 1
This year, folks, we get to "spring forward" during spring break.
Daylight-saving time, or DST, for 2007 begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 11, not quite two days after UTM students will scatter for their one-week holiday. That means we must set our clocks ahead one hour before we go to sleep on Saturday night, March 10.
If you think the date for resetting clocks seems early this year, you're right - most Americans are accustomed to DST beginning in April. The earlier start date this year stems from the Energy Policy Act of 2005, passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President George Bush on Aug. 8, 2005, according to http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving.
Also, the ending date for DST has been extended from October to November, meaning we don't "fall back," or set our clocks one hour back, until 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 4.
Why are we spending more time in DST mode this year? Apparently, according to webexhibits.org, the U.S. Department of Energy is going to study how much energy savings actually occurs this year. If the savings is significant, the longer DST may continue. Meanwhile, Congress "retains the right" to switch the country back to the 2005 DST schedule of April through October.
The rationale for why we should have a longer period of DST is simple, according to the Web site: "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, the amount of electricity consumed each day decreases."
The Web site also lists the two states and several U.S. territories that do not participate in DST: Hawaii and Arizona, along with American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
And for those of you interested in DST's historical aspects, here's a bit of trivia: Benjamin Franklin, who also played with electricity, conceived the idea of "moving" time to make the most efficient use of available daylight. His idea never reached fruition in his lifetime, but now it's certainly part of our lives.
So don't forget to set your clocks ahead - and, of course, have a wonderful spring break.
Daylight-saving time, or DST, for 2007 begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 11, not quite two days after UTM students will scatter for their one-week holiday. That means we must set our clocks ahead one hour before we go to sleep on Saturday night, March 10.
If you think the date for resetting clocks seems early this year, you're right - most Americans are accustomed to DST beginning in April. The earlier start date this year stems from the Energy Policy Act of 2005, passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President George Bush on Aug. 8, 2005, according to http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving.
Also, the ending date for DST has been extended from October to November, meaning we don't "fall back," or set our clocks one hour back, until 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 4.
Why are we spending more time in DST mode this year? Apparently, according to webexhibits.org, the U.S. Department of Energy is going to study how much energy savings actually occurs this year. If the savings is significant, the longer DST may continue. Meanwhile, Congress "retains the right" to switch the country back to the 2005 DST schedule of April through October.
The rationale for why we should have a longer period of DST is simple, according to the Web site: "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, the amount of electricity consumed each day decreases."
The Web site also lists the two states and several U.S. territories that do not participate in DST: Hawaii and Arizona, along with American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
And for those of you interested in DST's historical aspects, here's a bit of trivia: Benjamin Franklin, who also played with electricity, conceived the idea of "moving" time to make the most efficient use of available daylight. His idea never reached fruition in his lifetime, but now it's certainly part of our lives.
So don't forget to set your clocks ahead - and, of course, have a wonderful spring break.
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