Since this Sunday is the day we begin Daylight Savings Time, I thought I'd pass along a bit a of history.
Spring Ahead & Enjoy!
Many of us make the adjustment for day light savings on Saturday night, two times a year, before going to bed - so we're on time when we awake Sunday morning.
Over the years, the changing of the clocks ritual across the country has resulted in friendly reminders to change the batteries in your home smoke detectors and changing the air filters in your home's heating and cooling system. These advisories have proven to be potentially both life saving and cost saving reminders for all of us.
2007 marked one of the most significant changes to DST in a long time. From 1986 to 2006 DST was from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. In 2007 the dates changed from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, adding about a month to DST.
This spring-forward fall-back practice was first proposed in 1907 and saw its most widespread use in 1916 as a wartime measure aimed at conserving coal. Despite controversy, many countries continue the time-change practice to this day.
Here in the U.S., adding daylight to afternoons generally benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that get to enjoy a little more sunlight after the traditional work day. That extra afternoon daylight appears to cut traffic accidents and deaths, but the effect on health and crime is less obvious.
There have long been claims that DST saves electricity by reducing your need on summer evenings to turn-on the lights. However another school of thought suggests it can actually boost peak electricity demand - thereby increasing electricity costs.
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