How exactly does changing daylight savings time save energy?

Question

How exactly does changing daylight savings time save energy?

Answer 1

Studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation show that Daylight Saving Time trims the country's electricity usage by a small but significant amount about 1% each day because less electricity is used for lighting, and appliances. Similarly, in New Zealand, power companies have found that power usage decreases 3.5% when Summer Time starts. In the first week, peak evening consumption commonly drops around 5%.

In the summer, people who rise before the sun rises use more energy in the morning than if Daylight Saving Time was not in effect. However, although 70% of Americans arise before 7:00 a.m., this energy usage from having less sunlight in the morning is more than offset by the savings of energy that results from more sunlight in the evening.

In the winter, the afternoon Daylight Saving Time or Summer Time advantage is offset by the need for more lighting in the morning. In spring and fall, the advantage is generally less than one hour. So, while Summer Time saves energy for lighting in all seasons of the year, it saves the least during the four darkest months November, December, January, and February in the Northern Hemisphere; May, June, July, and August in the Southern Hemisphere, when the afternoon advantage is offset by the need for lighting because of the late sunrise.

Traditionally, Americans adjusted their hours to fit changes in daylight. Farmers, as well as railroads, steamship lines, shops, and factories changed their hours of operation seasonally. These seasonal schedules declined after American railroads implemented standard time zones in 1883. In 1907, an English builder and golfer named William Willett proposed the basic outline of what became daylight saving time. His plan found ready ears in the United States.

American commercial interests began pushing for "more daylight," especially the burgeoning leisure time industry. An hour of light after work meant bigger crowds at ball games, amusement parks, and department stores. Commercial interests seized on the fact that in 1916, some European nations adopted "fast time" to promote efficiency and save fuel. The U.S. Senate began investigating daylight saving time that year, hearing testimony from the "National Daylight Saving Convention," a lobbying group of businessmen, chambers of commerce, and trade organizations. In 1917, these groups tied daylight saving to patriotism, efficiency, and economy, urging, "mobilize an extra hour of daylight and help win the war." Although no savings of fuel was ever demonstrated, in March 1918 Congress passed a bill to "save daylight and provide a standard time." Besides establishing a period of summer daylight saving, the bill made standard time zones into national law.

Daylight saving met with considerable skepticism, primarily from those on the borders of existing time zones, and workers who rose extremely early. On the western edge of the eastern zone, adopting daylight saving put clocks nearly two hours ahead of the daylight. Farmers in those regions resisted daylight saving because it forced them to start too early in the morning. Labor organizations, including the American Federation of Labor, also resented rising in deeper darkness so middle-class businessmen might play golf after work. Additional objections called the measure absurd, like robbing Peter to pay Paul, while a minority detested changes to "God's time." Some businesses, particularly the movie industry, lost sales under daylight saving.

Repealed in 1919, daylight saving remained in use by local option until the Uniform Time Act of 1966 made daylight saving national law. During World War II, year-round daylight saving prevailed, and in 1974 President Richard Nixon, reacting to the first energy crisis, set the clocks ahead for fifteen months. In 1986, lobbied by the makers of sporting goods, charcoal grills, and insect repellants, Congress established calendar dates in early April and late October for daylight saving.

Hope this helps!

-J

http://badhuman.wordpress.com

Answer 2

in the UK the clocks go forward i hr in the spring and go back i hr in the autumn this was introduced during the 2 world  wars

to give farmers more daylight working hours especially in scotland where it goes dark several hours before the restof the uk as it is further north in the winter the uk is i hr behind europe and when the clocks go forward we have the same time as france /germany etc and when the clocks go back1hr we are an hour behind europe.

Answer 3

it was first made for farmers...  since time goes

forward an hour farmers get an extra hour of sunlight

to work on the crops in the summer.  :)

Answer 4

It does'nt! What it does is to perpetrate a falsehood upon those who must obey it. It's roots lay in a single man's selfishness.  Mothernature's rythem has to of been disturbed by none other than Satan. The rythems of nature continually have been disrupted eversince. So Is the anger we all express so acutely. F#$% the mans degradation. We have a choice to erase this blasphemy from our eager to be natural ,blocks to our sanity!

Answer 5

well, daylight savings time doesnt save energy.  In fact, it uses more energy.  DST wasn't instituted to save energy, it was instituted to allow for longer business days, particularly for the construction and recreation industries.  More daylight means more time on the construction site, or more time to recreate.  construction uses more energy, and many forms of recreation use more energy as well.

Answer 6

It doesn't.  It was first evaluated during the Nixon administration after the Shah of Iran broke the OPEC agreement.  The only one of those administrative measures that saved anything was the 55 mph speed limit.  Big drop in fatalities too.

Answer 7

less time with the lights on at night

Answer 8

Actually daylight saving time, along with wednesday noon closings by downtown stores and government offices are a hold over from WWII.  

Daylight saving time allowed the farmers and the general public to be awake and have more daylight working hours.  Saved on fuel costs.  Wednesdays closings allowed people to go home and work in their gardens, called "victory gardens".  Everything was in such shortages that people had to raise their own veggies.  Sugar, rubber, gasoline, coal and most everything else was rationed, to ensure that our troops would have the resources they needed to be victorious!  

As every one knows this kind of feeling and attitude just doesn't exist in todays world!  The people of today just don't care, as long as their fat azzes are covered and comfortable!

Answer 9

It is supposed to provide more daylight in the evening. to

save on "electricity."

But when you have to turn all your lights in the early morning.

Your not saving.

Since the "politions" don't start until it's light anway.

It is to their "advantage." <}:-})

Answer 10

The longer it stays lighter out side you won't need to turn lights on inside.

Answer 11

It does not save energy, as was shown in a recent study.

It was originally for the early industrial factories, not farmers as some report.  I grew up on a farm and we did not do anything according to the clock on the wall.

Since more factories have sealed buildings and airconditioning, it actually costs more to have daylight savings time.  The only people who actually make any money on the deal are golf courses.

Answer 12

absolutely none! another stupid american tradition that goes back to ben franklin. he thought of it. saw dvd biography. just takes some people more time to adjust. does not save energy at all. that is dumb.

Answer 13

So the politicians of the world can play golf later.