LeAnn Ralph, writing for the Dunn County (Wisconsin – I believe) News has an article entitled Daylight Saving Time actually results in no real savings.
The United States started using DST during World War I as a way to save fuel needed to produce electric power. But even though DST is intended to save electricity, the total savings is minimal, Reardon said.
“During the summer months is when we get the most benefit … If we can decrease the amount of the time from when the sun sets until the time we go to bed, we save electricity,†he said.
Since people tend to spend time outside in the evenings, DST saves on the use of electric lights, televisions, microwaves, computers and other electrical gadgets and appliances, Reardon ex-plained.
The article then explains that DST has now been extended well beyond the summer months, this year going from March 11 to November 4.
Implementing DST earlier in the spring and later in the fall when it remains dark longer in the morning produces virtually no benefit because people keep their lights on longer in the morning.
“The energy savings is minuscule,†Reardon said, noting that the statistics used to calculate the savings of DST are from the 1970s. Current studies are needed to provide more up-to-date information.
Since the 70s, the typical house is chock full of things that use power regardless of light or dark; e.g. DVD players and computers. So, the overall energy saving is that much less significant as a percentage of total power used. So, essentially, Indiana has apparently adopted DST after its actual usefulness, such as it was, has passed. Now we’re just doing it because everyone else does it — an excuse that didn’t much fly with my parents, if memory serves. Well, that and all the job creation, of course.
But…the name says “saving”. Doesn’t that mean it saves?
Seriously, it will take years of studies that ALL say that there is no savings until people will relent. There are too many “but I LOVE late sunset” people that won’t want to change it back.
Outside of Indiana, everyone has been told how it saves so much. With being “green” a more popular ideal, it will be even harder to get rid of the myth.
You know, if the policy goal is later sunsets in the summers, I can’t say that’s entirely unreasonable. Personally, I get more out of a bit of morning sunshine than the late sun, but there’s a lot of subjective personal preference in all of that.
But, if the policy goal is later sunsets, we should state that explicitly and debate the issue on those terms, rather than pretending this is about saving energy. Mostly, I get the feeling that, these days, the energy savings argument is usually a pretext coming from someone who just personally prefers the later sunsets in the summer.
Energy savings in the summer is just as much a myth. Really, “Since people tend to spend time outside in the evenings, DST saves on the use of electric lights, televisions, microwaves, computers and other electrical gadgets and appliances, Reardon ex-plained.” And just what do people do outside with this “extended light”? Many go out for drives to the golf course, or the local ice cream shop, or shop, or just play on their motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle or motor boat. DST may (or may not) slightly reduce electricity usage in the summer, but it certainly increases the use of motor fuels. The recreational consumption of motor fuels is energy consumption.
I’d point out that many of the activities encouraged by EDT displace former summer evening activities that were more social and less individualistic in character. As an example of this our local minor league baseball team favored moving to Central Time, I presume because they believed the “delayed sunset” of EDT would cut into their attendance. If so it would fit my experience. I took my family to a baseball game in Detroit this past summer. The “night” game we attended started in what is really the afternoon, and having the sun beating down on us really was uncomfortable for the first few innings. (Detroit’s new park seems so much more open than old Tiger Stadium, but there just aren’t many places you can sit in the shade.) Summer baseball is often more pleasant for the fans after the sun sets.
The Chamber of Commerce doesn’t push DST because it saves energy, it pushes DST to encourage consumption. Electrical power consumption is not the sum total of energy consumption and sunsets are not the equivalent of death for outdoor activity.
My wife one time made this comment in the spring, as we were getting ready to plant a new yard.
“Oh good, we’re doing it after the time change. The grass will get an extra hour of sunlight!”
And she grew up in a part of the state that did change time;-)
I’m all for the state going to CDT/EST year round and think that DST is a thing of the past. With the way that people love being outside in the longer days of summer, the only way this would be feasible would be if most of the US accepted their DST as their new standard time.
Thank you, Rev. AJB, for that compelling argument for the repeal of the nineteenth amendment…
>Well, that and all the job creation, of course.
You mean the people you can hire to come in and change all the clocks in your house for you? Seems a bit of a luxery item to me – should probably be taxed higher.
-grin
I’m all for women’s sufferage! Just making a (trying to be funny) comment about how confusing this time change thing is; even to those who grew up with it.
I recall hearing/reading somewhere that accident rates increase in the week following the time change; due to the shift in sleeping habits. Wonder why insurance companies aren’t jumping all over this one?
Just a bit of snark about the 19th Amendment – don’t take me too seriously.
Although Scott Adams has a useful phrase to say after describing such behavior:
“And then he/she voted.”
A scary thought, just in time for Halloween!
No problem!
For good measure I thought I’d throw in that DST in “ET” Indiana kills evening outdoor concerts, at least those not using high power acoustic amplification (and all the distortion that implies). Sunlight heats the ground producing ground level air turbulence which in turn ruins sound propagation. Put simply, sound travels better at night.
The Elkhart Truth has got a nice story and forum on the subject.
http://www.etruth.com/Know/Opinion/Story.aspx?ID=427542
I unload on some of these idiot bloggers that think bringing up the DST issue is like beating a dead horse.
The only thing- you’ll need to register(takes a minute) to read the article.