If you got up early to celebrate Pi Day, I hope you didn’t miss it, because….
It’s that “time” again. At 2:00 a.m. this morning everyone got out of bed and set their clocks ahead one hour…. then went back to bed knowing that they’d just lost an hour of sleep. These spring and fall clock changes continue a long tradition started by Benjamin Franklin to (supposedly) conserve energy.
Historically, daylight saving time (DST) has begun in the summer months and ended right before winter — but the rules have changed over the years. In 2007, the rules for DST changed for the first time in more than 20 years. The changes were enacted by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and extended the length of DST in the interest of reducing energy consumption.
The rules increased the duration of DST by about a month. DST is now in effect for 238 days, or about 65% of the year. When the policy act was passed, Congress retained the right to revert to the prior law should the change prove unpopular or if energy savings were not significant.
Even though any energy saving is questionable, the new policy remains in effect:
DST begins at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday of March
DST ends at 2:00 a.m/ on the first Sunday in November
Most people that I’ve talked to lately, think it should be done away with, but despite the complaints, DST isn’t all bad news. One benefit seems to be a decrease in crime. One study found that the start of DST in the spring was associated with a drop in robberies.
But for now, like it or not, we’re into Day Saving Time — if it’s confusing to you, just think about the guy that asked, “daylight saving time — why are they saving it, and where do they keep it?”
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