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Daylight-saving
Time Lasts Longer This Year |
Posted:
03.09.07
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Most of the United States begins daylight-saving time three weeks
earlier this year -- Congress' attempt to save energy and money.
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Daylight-saving time, intended to help people make better use
of daylight hours, was increased by four or five weeks when President
Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
 The
act mandated that clocks "spring forward" on the second
Sunday of March, not the usual first Sunday of April. The act
also mandated that clocks "fall back" on the first Sunday
in November, not the last Sunday in October.
The idea is to move an hour of daylight from when people are
typically sleeping to when they are out and about, therefore decreasing
the amount of energy used for lighting and appliances.
According to studies done by the U.S. Department of Transportation,
those savings amount to a decrease of the entire country's energy
usage by about 1 percent each day.
"The entire population is active at 6 p.m. versus 6 a.m.,
and if we all have an extra hour before we turn on the lights,
that's a big savings," David Moulton, chief of staff for
Representative Edward Markey, D-Mass., who introduced the amendment
to the law, told Time magazine.
Daylight-saving time also has been shown to reduce crime and
traffic accidents, which are more frequent in the evening when
drivers are tired.
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History of
daylight-saving time |
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Daylight-saving time is often attributed to Benjamin Franklin,
who wrote about the concept in his essay, "An Economical
Project," while living in France in 1784. The thrifty diplomat
and inventor advised getting up an hour earlier each day to save
on the use of candles at the end of the day.
 Although
enacted temporarily toward the end of World War I and throughout
World War II to save fuel, the idea of daylight-saving didn't
really take hold in the United States until the 1960s.
Congress created the Uniform Time Act in 1966. This act mandated
a set beginning and ending of daylight-saving across the country.
Any state that wanted to opt out of the system had to create its
own law to keep the state on standard time. Arizona and Hawaii
are two such states.
Standard time created distinct time zones throughout the country.
They were originally created by the railroad industry in the 1880s
to streamline communication and travel but didn't become federal
law until 1918.
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Potential
technological problems |
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 Some
technology experts worry that the change in the timetable for
daylight-saving will cause cell phones, computers, digital video
recorders and other technological gadgets to malfunction.
In addition, airports, hospitals and other institutions that
rely on tight schedules might be affected.
However, companies have had two years to fix major problems,
and the remaining glitches aren't expected to do more than add
confusion or make people an hour late.
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Critics of
the extension |
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Critics of an earlier daylight-saving time include farmers, psychologists
and some energy experts who do not think the savings will be as
much as expected.
"Farmers have to follow the sun regardless of what the clock
says," which may put them off of other people's schedule,
David Prerau, author of "Seize the Daylight: The Curious
and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time," told the
NewsHour.
 Some
psychiatrists worry that less sunshine in the mornings could compound
the effects of seasonal affective disorder, or wintertime depression.
"One of the main factors involved in the genesis of seasonal
affective disorder is the lack of morning light," said David
Avery, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington,
who wrote Congress in opposition of the extension of daylight-saving
time.
One winner from the later switch back to standard time is the
candy industry, which has been pressing for the change since 1986
because it will mean and hour more light for trick or treating
on Halloween.
Any energy savings will be studied by Congress next year. If deemed
too small, the change may be reversed.
--Compiled
by Annie Schleicher for NewsHour Extra
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I grew up with constant influences from the black and white communities, a situation which caught me in that limbo where I was too black to be white but too white to be considered fully black.
