What Time Is It

What Time Is It, Daylight saving time doesn’t save energy — quite the opposite. Back in World War I, when Germany, Russia, and England first adopted daylight saving, the idea was to conserve coal for the war effort. (The United States eventually followed suit in 1918.) If these countries could just stretch out the daylight during the summer, leaders reasoned, then people would use less electricity for lighting. Sounds sensible, right? The problem is that daylight saving no longer seems to be effective on this score.

Here’s a raft of studies on the subject. Most of them find that while households do use less lighting during daylight saving, thanks to the longer, brighter afternoons, they also end up cranking up the air conditioning more, which makes it either a wash or a net loser for energy use. A 2008 paper (pdf) by economists Matthew Kotchen and Laura Grant examined what happened in Indiana when, thanks to a change in state law, all counties suddenly had to shift to daylight saving. They concluded that daylight saving probably costs Indiana about $10.7 million to $14.5 million per year in higher electricity bills and increased coal pollution.

Meanwhile, daylight saving doesn’t seem to impact gasoline use and driving habits one way or the other. Back in 2005, Congress decided to extend daylight saving by four weeks, claiming it would reduce oil use by 1 percent. A subsequent review (pdf) in 2008 by the Department of Energy found that the legislation didn’t appear to have any effect on gasoline consumption at all.

2) Daylight saving time might increase traffic fatalities. There’s also some dispute about whether daylight saving time increases or decreases traffic accidents. On the one hand, the extra hour of sunshine in the afternoon means that more people are driving while it’s still light out. That makes the roads safer, according to a 1995 study (pdf) in the American Journal of Public Health. On the other hand, the sleep disruptions that occur when clocks are moved forward can increase the risk of traffic fatalities during the spring. Back in 1996, researcher Stanley Coren found that traffic accidents flare up in the spring, when we set our clocks forward and everybody’s tired, and drop again in the fall, when we set our clocks back and get an extra hour of sleep.

3) Daylight saving can be bad for your health. Again, some mixed results here. The extra sunlight is good for vitamin D synthesis. But the disruption in sleep patterns caused by setting your clock forward can actually kill people. Here’s the finding reported in a brand new study out of the University of Alabama in Birmingham: “The Monday and Tuesday after moving the clocks ahead one hour in March is associated with a 10 percent increase in the risk of having a heart attack,” says researcher Martin Young. And a 2009 study (pdf) in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that tired workers are at greater risk of workplace accidents.

4) Daylight saving has mixed effects on the economy. Retailers love the extra sunlight — it means that there are more customers around who are willing to go out and shop. The all-powerful golfing industry is also a big fan, apparently. On the other hand, daylight saving can cut into sales for movie theaters and reduce the audience for prime-time television — people go out and enjoy the evening air instead of staring at screens inside.

Daylight Savings Time

Daylight Savings Time, It’s nearly time to ‘Spring Forward.’ At 2 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, March 11, we’ll be springing our clocks forward-and losing an hour of the day, for Daylight Saving Time. The good news: sunset will be an hour later.

You may have noticed the annual tradition of Daylight Saving Time has crept forward a bit. We used to spring forward on the first Sunday in April and fall back on last Sunday in October. But a couple years ago, Congress changed the date-adding more Daylight Saving Time to the calendar. This year, it will run from March 11 until Nov. 4.

Unless you’re in Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. They don’t do Daylight Saving Time.

Around the world, about 75 countries and territories have at least one location that observes Daylight Saving Time, according to TimeandDate.com. On the other hand, 164 don’t observe the time change at all.

Benjamin Franklin has been credited with the idea of Daylight Saving Time, but Britain and Germany began using the concept in World War I to conserve energy, the Washington Post observes. The U.S. used Daylight Saving Time for a brief time during the war, but it didn’t become widely accepted in the States until after the second World War.

In 1966, the Uniform Time Act outlined that clocks should be set forward on the last Sunday in April and set back the last Sunday in October.

Daylight Savings

Daylight Savings, You might wish Spring Break would stick around longer than a week. On the bright side, all the campus clocks should be set to the correct time when you return.

Daylight Saving Time begins March 11 at 2 a.m. So the clocks on campus (and your own clock, if you don’t want to be late for class) must be set an hour ahead.

The Power Plant Division used to readjust the clocks every 24 hours using a campus-wide bell system, said Mike Thomas, the maintenance and construction superintendent, in an email. However, that system was done away with sometime in the last five to 10 years.

The PPD still sets the memorial clock outside the O’Connell Center and the automated clocks that have been installed in some buildings, but each department is now responsible for setting its own wall clocks.

In the Reitz Union, most of the clocks are automated, according to John Duncan, the operations manager.

He said, “I know there’s one battery-operated clock in the Welcome Center, and I’m usually the one to get up and spin the little dial.”

Day Light Savings

Day Light Savings, Daylight saving time ends on Sunday as “backward” and set the clocks back one hour. This is also a good time to review the things that keep us safe and ready for emergencies.

Smoke Detectors – Check and replace batteries if necessary and make sure your home devices are functioning properly. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates that about 16 million households in the country with smoke detectors that do not work. In most cases, the batteries are dead or missing. Nearly 2,700 people die and more than 15,000 are injured each year because of fires that began at home.

Carbon monoxide (CO) – Make sure you have CO detectors in your home. According to the Centers for Disease Control, carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States, with more than 20,000 people visit the emergency room and about 500 die each year from exposure to the gas .

In addition, all homes and duplexes in Wisconsin are required to have carbon monoxide detectors. The new Wisconsin law requires that the detectors on each level of the house including the basement, but not the attic or storage areas. Any home that requires a building permit should have CO detectors connected directly to the electrical service with battery backup. Existing buildings can be used independently of detector batteries.

Emergency Kits – Everyone should have a basic emergency kit in your home with supplies such as food and water for you and your family for at least three days. Other elements such as a battery or crank radio, flashlight and first aid kit should also be included. Summertime is a perfect time to get a kit – and if you already have a kit to check that food and other items that are not near or beyond their expiration date.

For more tips on how to prepare yourself and your family, please visit our website: http://readywisconsin.wi.gov
Information on how to get a kit and a plan for when disaster strikes.

Day Light Savings Time

Day Light Savings Time, The last vestige of saving time ends at 2 am on Sunday, November 6, residents set their clocks back one hour.

Most Americans associate the summer time with summer. Spring forward in March as the weather gets warmer and people spend more time outdoors. Moving clocks forward gives an extra hour of daylight after work each day.

In November, falling clocks to standard time, and the extra time is shifted to the morning.

History of Daylight Saving Time

Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay in 1784, savings of natural versus artificial light. Some Franklin credit as the author of DST.

Congress passed the first law regulating the time the March 18, 1918, a law that establishes rules and daylight saving time. A year later, daylight saving time was repealed, and local governments were allowed to decide to continue the use of the extent of summer.

During the Second World War, the DST is used throughout the year to save electricity. After the war, the DST has again become a matter of local choice.

The Uniform Time Act of 1966 made the starting date of daylight saving time on the last Sunday of April and the end date of the last Sunday in October. Local jurisdictions have the option to use or not.

Congress passed the hours of emergency power saving Time Conservation Act 1973, in response to the oil embargo in the 1970s. Most states observe daylight saving time from January 6 to October 27, and in 1975, from February 23 to October 26. In 1976, the start date changes to the date set in 1966.

In 1986, Congress changed the start date until the first Sunday in April since 1987.

The time change occurred in 2007 in response to Congress passes the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The Energy Policy Act changed the start of daylight saving from the first Sunday in April until the second Sunday in March and ends daylight saving time on the first Sunday of November instead of the last Sunday in October.

At that time, federal officials said extending DST by an additional period of four weeks, reduce energy consumption by the equivalent “of 100,000 barrels per day of delay.

Why we do it

Despite the many theories as to the reason for changing the time, the most common reason is to save energy, especially during the two world wars.

As Americans began to use more gadgets, small appliances, televisions, stereos – the demand for electricity grew. Today most people have at least one computer, television and lots of gadgets and electricity use is at its highest point ever.

More and more research is being done to create energy efficiency and affordability. Research in the production of electricity from renewable resources like wind, sun and water, is at its highest point ever.

White some argue that it is not beneficial to change the time, officials say that the basic premise proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 is still true – all U.S. households use the most electricity before and after work and after the sun it gets.

Having an extra hour of daylight after the workday ends also allows more time to play outside, participate in sporting events and shopping, so there is a strong feeling of summer the weather is good for the economy. Health officials believe it helps to keep Americans in shape with the people who are less inclined to take a walk or jog at night. The results are mixed regarding the effect on crime. Preachers church attendance report is usually in the morning after. The companies say more employees are late for work.

Some ask why not use daylight saving time all year. The main reason seems to be the public.

Many people do not like daylight saving time in the winter. Parents complain of having to send their children to school in the dark. People do not like driving to work in the dark. Some religions bind their services to the rising and setting sun and prefer the standard time all year, like those involved in agricultural activities. Twice a year the weather changes go against the grain, they say.

Still, some argue that it would be best to pick a moment and let that be. Research shows most car accidents happen in the first weeks after the change, as people try to adjust their sleep patterns. Students have trouble staying awake during morning classes. Change is especially difficult for shift workers and others who work nights or hours long. The jury is still out on whether or not there are good or bad time for a person’s biological clock.

Regardless of their opinion, do not forget, Sunday, November 6th is the day to set the clocks back one hour before bedtime. And do not forget to check the batteries in your smoke detector and change the timers on sprinklers.

Next Page »