Post by Bennett D. Ebberly on Oct 25, 2003 18:11:57 GMT -5
All About Daylight Saving Time
8AM EDT, October 18, 2003
By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Justin Consor
The end of daylight saving time is fast approaching - the clocks will be turned back one hour at 2AM this Sunday, October 26. What you may not be aware of, however, is how daylight savings originated and the connection it has to weather.
The main idea behind Daylight Saving Time (DST) is to allow people and businesses to utilize daylight more effectively. More specifically, turning the clocks back in the fall and ahead in the spring helps to conserve energy.
According to many historians, the original idea for DST originated with none other than Ben Franklin, who was known for his colorful and often practical ideas in the realms of science and public policy.
In 1784, as he approached the end of his term as an American delegate in Paris, Franklin penned "An Economical Project", a discourse on the merits of natural versus artificial lighting. He included several humorous laws or ideas that the city of Paris could enact to conserve energy and make better use of daylight.
Others adopted the idea in Britain and this was the first country to put DST into effect starting in 1840 with London railroads. By 1855 a large majority of Britain`s clocks were set to DST.
Much later, America`s government created a law putting daylight savings time in effect during World War One and World War Two. Between 1945 and 1966, however, there was no U.S. law to enforce daylight savings time.
However, by 1966 daylight savings time was in use by over 100 million Americans due to local laws and customs. Many of these individuals were farmers, who felt their productivity benefited from the extra daylight in the morning.
In 1966, the Uniform Time Act was passed, setting up a system of uniform (within each time zone) Daylight Saving Time throughout the U.S. and its territories.
Mid-fall is a natural time to turn the clocks back and forward in the U.S., since it is a time when home and business owners are switching from air conditioning to heat.
The specific "turn back the clock date" that saves the most energy year-to-year depends on weather conditions in a particular country. In the U.S. the clocks are always turned back on the last Sunday of October. The clocks are turned forward on the first Sunday in April.
However, daylight savings time is not used in most of the Eastern Time Zone portion of the State of Indiana, the state of Arizona (aside from the Navajo Reservation), Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Many farmers in Indiana feel that Daylight Saving Time is not beneficial to them, since it reduces their ability to get work done in the early morning hours and limits their participation in evening activities.
Many other countries use daylight savings time as well, including all of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Chile, Israel and Egypt.
In the southern hemisphere countries like Australia, Brazil and Chile, the dates are reversed because their seasons are the opposite of the northern hemisphere`s. Thus clocks are turned back in March or April and forward in September or October.
Use Weatherbug to track sunset and sunrise times for your location before and after Daylight Saving Time.
Also note how your local weather station`s coolest temperatures in the morning and the warmest ones in the afternoon occur about one hour "earlier" and think about how this relates to energy usage in your home and business.
What do you think of this story?
8AM EDT, October 18, 2003
By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Justin Consor
The end of daylight saving time is fast approaching - the clocks will be turned back one hour at 2AM this Sunday, October 26. What you may not be aware of, however, is how daylight savings originated and the connection it has to weather.
The main idea behind Daylight Saving Time (DST) is to allow people and businesses to utilize daylight more effectively. More specifically, turning the clocks back in the fall and ahead in the spring helps to conserve energy.
According to many historians, the original idea for DST originated with none other than Ben Franklin, who was known for his colorful and often practical ideas in the realms of science and public policy.
In 1784, as he approached the end of his term as an American delegate in Paris, Franklin penned "An Economical Project", a discourse on the merits of natural versus artificial lighting. He included several humorous laws or ideas that the city of Paris could enact to conserve energy and make better use of daylight.
Others adopted the idea in Britain and this was the first country to put DST into effect starting in 1840 with London railroads. By 1855 a large majority of Britain`s clocks were set to DST.
Much later, America`s government created a law putting daylight savings time in effect during World War One and World War Two. Between 1945 and 1966, however, there was no U.S. law to enforce daylight savings time.
However, by 1966 daylight savings time was in use by over 100 million Americans due to local laws and customs. Many of these individuals were farmers, who felt their productivity benefited from the extra daylight in the morning.
In 1966, the Uniform Time Act was passed, setting up a system of uniform (within each time zone) Daylight Saving Time throughout the U.S. and its territories.
Mid-fall is a natural time to turn the clocks back and forward in the U.S., since it is a time when home and business owners are switching from air conditioning to heat.
The specific "turn back the clock date" that saves the most energy year-to-year depends on weather conditions in a particular country. In the U.S. the clocks are always turned back on the last Sunday of October. The clocks are turned forward on the first Sunday in April.
However, daylight savings time is not used in most of the Eastern Time Zone portion of the State of Indiana, the state of Arizona (aside from the Navajo Reservation), Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Many farmers in Indiana feel that Daylight Saving Time is not beneficial to them, since it reduces their ability to get work done in the early morning hours and limits their participation in evening activities.
Many other countries use daylight savings time as well, including all of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Chile, Israel and Egypt.
In the southern hemisphere countries like Australia, Brazil and Chile, the dates are reversed because their seasons are the opposite of the northern hemisphere`s. Thus clocks are turned back in March or April and forward in September or October.
Use Weatherbug to track sunset and sunrise times for your location before and after Daylight Saving Time.
Also note how your local weather station`s coolest temperatures in the morning and the warmest ones in the afternoon occur about one hour "earlier" and think about how this relates to energy usage in your home and business.
What do you think of this story?