Article

2018-03-10 -Land of the Free

Time To Ditch Daylight Saving Time ‐ It's A Killer That Doesn't Save Energy

[Investors.com] Sunday, March 11, is the start of daylight saving time across the country. But it might be the last time people in Florida have to switch their clocks.

The legislature there voted overwhelmingly to abolish the biannual changing of the clock, and stick with daylight saving time year round.

Last year, Massachusetts considered a similar move by switching to Atlantic Standard Time, which would permanently set their clocks ahead one hour. Maine also passed bills to ditch daylight saving time. Arizona and Hawaii don't abide by daylight saving time.

The problem Florida faces is that while the law lets states opt out of daylight saving time, they can't opt out of standard time. So, Congress would have to amend the law.

The European Union, meanwhile, is studying whether switching their clocks back and forth each year is worth it.

The answer is, it isn't.

The main reason for imposing daylight saving time has always been that it "saved" energy, since it would stay light an hour longer in the evening. The U.S. extended daylight saving time in 2007, as part of President Bush's woefully misguided energy bill ‐ which also banned traditional incandescent light bulbs ‐ specifically because it was supposed to cut the nation's energy consumption.

At the time, Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey said it would save consumers $4.4 billion over 15 years.

But research shows this is simply not the case. In fact, it's just as likely that daylight saving time costs energy.

Posted by JohnQC 2018-03-10 07:04|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top

#1 Assumption, assumptions, assumptions. We didn't have 'standard' time till the technological introduction of the railroads. It was a little complicated in 19th century tech to have timetable when everyone ran their own local time. Locals didn't need to know anything but the basics for relative time as most people didn't move about more than 20 miles a day. High noon was relative. So a convention was established/imposed to accommodate the technology.

Today, as a culture, we are no longer tied to that 19h Century technology. That our 'standard' time is tied to that original imposition of organizing ourselves definitely needs reexamination. Particularly given that 19th Century 'standard' was established long before modern electrification/lighting has altered our way of living.

'Standard' time is less of the year's calendar than the daylight adjustment. Its the evolution of our daily cycle supported by our contemporary society and technology. It's time to shift everyone one zone eastward. Its a social reference tied to the technology that we swim in.

Posted by Procopius2k 2018-03-10 07:45|| 2018-03-10 07:45|| Front Page Top

#2 DST is like the Star Spangled Banner. It drives some people insane out of all proportion to anything at all. They are more against it than cancer but really can't explain why.

Posted by M. Murcek 2018-03-10 14:27|| 2018-03-10 14:27|| Front Page Top

#3 I normally get up at 3:50 PST for work, but have been waking an hour early for some reason. This works for me. Thank you, America

Posted by Frank G 2018-03-10 17:31|| 2018-03-10 17:31|| Front Page Top

#4 The only reasonable system is to have noon as near as possible to solar noon, and keep it thus year-round.

Posted by Si vis pacem 2018-03-10 18:23|| 2018-03-10 18:23|| Front Page Top

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