Saving Daylight at Our Little House
It was Dale’s stepmom who clued me in last week that this coming Sunday, March 13, is the beginning of Daylight Savings Time.
“What? So early!?”
I could have sworn that it didn’t begin until April. I would have been right until 2007, when DST was extended from March to November.
I’m all for springing into spring and leaving the winter behind us, but there are some disadvantages to springing forward:
- We lose that hour of sleep and hour of precious leisure time this weekend, which makes us feel like we’re jetlagged for a little while.
- Sunlight will now not appear until around 7 a.m., which makes some kids stand in the dark waiting for school buses. It also makes me have to walk over to The Belle Writer’s Studio in the dark of morning. This is something I haven’t liked since losing Emma last summer.
It does present advantages as well, such as giving Dale an extra hour of light when he gets home from work to do things in the yard.
I did try to research whether DST actually helps save energy, as was the reasoning behind the initial institution of the practice. In the 1970s, research showed it saved the country about 1 percent energy use each year.
However, more recent studies, one done in California and one done in Indiana conflicts on if it actually saves any energy at all.
Love it or hate it, most of us will be setting our clocks ahead on Saturday night, ready to spring forward.
Your thoughts on DST?
I'm kind of looking forward to it. Yesterday was our first "warm" (and not too windy) day in a LONG time, and it made me even more ready for spring.
Alas, today (Friday), we have like 80 mph winds. So, no sitting outside to work.
I've been curious about the energy-saving benefits (or not).
We've also been having cold and windy conditions, Roxanne. Alas, today is beautiful.
I am looking forward to DST more than usual this year because the winter in New England has been so cold and snowy.
I hear you, Alexandra. It's been a long cold one everywhere, I think.
I have a love/hate relationship with DST. I don't like the adjustment to springing forward, much prefer falling back, but DO like it that my husband is home during daylight and can enjoy being outside. Like you Kerri, it always catches me by surprise. It seems like we just set our clocks back one hour and already we're springing forward! It seems to me it would just make sense to go with it all year round, and not have this twice yearly adjustment in our sleeping patterns. What I like best about springing forward– the word "spring!"
That's what I like best about it too, Kathy! I never did set my clock in the studio, so at least it will be on time again next week!
Being considerably further north than you, I guess, even with DST dawn will come early here. At the height of summer, on DST, it starts to break light about 3:30 or 4 AM and it isn't really dark until about 10:30 PM. Right now it's starting to get light around 5:30 AM, which is when I get up, so I guess I'll be getting up in the dark for awhile when 6:30 becomes the new 5:30.
Whew!!
I'm more concerned about when all this snow will melt — and will it flood when it does?
Most of Canada, except parts of British Columbia and most of Saskatchewan, uses DST — and, since we have 6 primary time zones in Canada and they change from "xxxx" standard time to "xxxx" daylight time — we never know what time it is anywhere anyway. I don't worry about it but, I guess when I really think about it — does it really make much sense anymore?
You made my head spin with all of that, Olivia!
With some of the states not participating, it becomes confusing here too. When I worked at Citibank in a call center, there was invariably some early/late calling during DST that was outside the parameters of the law. Oh, I know you must be sick of that snow. Let's hope it will not flood when it does melt.
I kind of wish the same thing, V. Although I do love those very long days in the summer and appreciate that it doesn't get dark at the height of it until near 9 p.m. I don't think parts of Indiana follow it either. I don't know about Alaska.
Personally, I wish it would be dumped. I feel out of sorts for about a month or so.
Our state proposed to drop the DST, but then too much going on with the state budget and all the other problems and I never heard any more about it. Arizona does not follow it, I am not sure of other states, I'm not sure about Alaska?
That is my feelings.