History of Daylight Saving Time: Why do we Spring forward?

Saving Daylight Mobilize an Extra Hour of Daylight. Image: Wikimedia

HISTORY OF DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

Podcast version

It seems like only yesterday that we discussed the ending of Daylight Saving Time, or DST, a brilliant campaign to convince people that we’re getting more daylight each day when, in reality, they’ve simply changed their clocks and then forgotten about it within two weeks. It was only back in November, four months ago.

Changes in Daylight Saving Time

Indeed, the DST rules that began in 2007 added an extra four or five weeks each year. There are now 238 days of DST, compared with 210 days under the previous rules in 2006. This means the U.S. remains on DST for about 65% of the year. So, if you think about it, DST will be in effect for most of the year; Standard time is no longer the standard. It might be more significant to recognize Daylight Losing Time.

Worldwide DST

Daylight saving time regions. Image: Wikipedia

It has also spread to other countries, but cloaked under different names. In the European Union (EU), it is called the Summer Time and happens from the last Sunday in March through the last Sunday in October.

• Most of Canada uses DST, except for most of Saskatchewan and parts of northeastern British Columbia, while Manitoba and Ontario follow the US model to maintain a “competitive advantage” with its principal trading partner.

• In Russia, though, they can’t get enough: they add an extra hour. During the Summer, Russia’s clocks are two hours ahead of standard time. During the winter, all 11 Russian time zones are an hour ahead of standard time.

• China and other parts of Asia and Africa ignore it completely. Closer to the equator, where the daylight hours are similar throughout the seasons, they can see things better and are not fooled by the need for this “daylight saving” campaign.

Do We Blame It on Canada?

You’re probably asking, “Bill… Petro… dot com, where did this all begin?” and well you might ask.

Blame it on the trains… at least in Canada. Before 1883, major cities set their clocks according to local astronomical conditions, but the advent of railroads necessitated a way to standardize schedules, which led to the introduction of “time zones.” Canada’s Sir Sandford Fleming advocated this time zone and hourly variation, which was adopted at the International Prime Meridian Conference in Washington the following year.

But it has not yet seen universal use. Various parts of the world experienced controversy concerning the impact on agriculture, outdoor activities, and business.

Was it Benjamin Franklin’s Idea?

Ben Franklin

Many credit Benjamin Franklin with popularizing the modern idea in 1784, while the American envoy to France, as a way of economizing on candles by rising earlier. In the early 20th century, Englishman William Willett championed DST throughout his life. Germany and its territories used it throughout World War I, and Britain and many of its allies later did the same. America standardized on it during World War I to reduce coal use. It was standardized again, year-round during World War II and again for two years during the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, both as a means of saving energy.

Follow The Money

Where does money come in? While we continued to use DST after WWI, it fell into disuse in America between WWI and WWII. New York City bankers and brokers tried to reinstate it to capitalize on the extra hour of arbitrage that DST permitted with the London markets. The New York Board of Aldermen lobbied for it and saw it made law in 1920.

Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
–Benjamin Franklin

Starting Daylight Saving Time

DST begins each year at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March in most of the United States and its territories. However, some places have not bought into this campaign. It is not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, or Arizona, except for the Navajo Indian Reservation, which does observe DST.

Now, an answer to the age-old question

“Does DST actually save energy?”

Daylight Saving Time Energy Savings?

A Department of Energy study released in early November 2008 showed that Daylight Saving Time does, in fact, save energy.

• 

  Impact of Extended Daylight Saving Time on National Energy Consumption. Image: Department of Energy

  The total electricity savings of Extended Daylight Saving Time were about 1.3 Tera Watt-hour (TWh). This corresponds to 0.5 percent per day of Extended Daylight Saving Time, or 0.03 percent of electricity consumption over the year. In comparison, the total electricity consumption in the United States in 2007 was 3,900 TWh.

• Regarding national primary energy consumption, the electricity savings translate to a 17 trillion Btu (TBtu) reduction during the spring and fall Extended Daylight Saving Time periods, or roughly 0.02 percent of total US energy consumption in 2007, which was 101,000 TBtu.

How much again? We’re talking about a two-hundredths-of-a-percent reduction in annual energy consumption!

How will you spend these energy savings?

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com    

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