{"id":6191,"date":"2015-10-23T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-23T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/?p=6191"},"modified":"2024-02-12T17:43:02","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T22:43:02","slug":"daylight-saving-time-ends-nov-1-and-why-do-we-do-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.diycontrols.com\/index.php\/daylight-saving-time-ends-nov-1-and-why-do-we-do-this\/","title":{"rendered":"Daylight Saving Time Ends Nov. 1 (And Why Do We Do This?)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you ever wonder why we have Daylight Saving Time, other than to mess with our circadian rhythm and remind us to change our smoke alarm batteries? In 2015, Daylight Saving Time (DST) officially ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1 in those states that observe “spring ahead, fall back.” That\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s when we turn the clocks back an hour and return to Standard Time. Sunrise comes earlier, which is nice for those early risers, but so is sunset, resulting in shorter afternoons. Here are some interesting facts about how DST began, whether it is really effective and what it’s got to do with smoke detectors<\/a><\/strong>.\"Daylight<\/a><\/p>\n

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Invented by Mr. Franklin<\/em><\/h2>\n

Credit for Daylight Saving Time (DST) belongs to that American patriot Benjamin Franklin, who first suggested the idea in 1784. It didn\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2t really catch on in the United States until World War I, in an effort to save on artificial lighting costs. The practice was unpopular and soon abolished, however, it was resurrected\u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0by FDR during World War II to save fuel and eventually became a state option in the years following. \u00c3\u201a\u00c2\u00a0The argument for DST is that changing the clocks \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u20ac\u009d whereby we “spring forward” and “fall back” \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u20ac\u009d will decrease energy consumption because having more sunlight in the evenings will reduce the need for artificial illumination.<\/p>\n

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Does DST Really Save Energy?<\/em><\/h2>\n

Recent studies are challenging the long-held reasoning that DST saves energy. In fact, evidence suggests that DST has the opposite<\/em> effect. The reason is that while DST reduces demand for residential lighting, it increases<\/em> demand for heating and cooling. In regions like the southwest United States where demand for air conditioning is greater and growing, daylight saving time is likely to increase electricity use even more!<\/p>\n

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Ways to Save Energy (With and Without DST)<\/em><\/h2>\n

Even though it\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s questionable that DST conserves energy, there are many ways you can reduce electricity use at home, including these recommendations from the U.S. Department of Energy:<\/p>\n