Earlier Daylight Savings - Not Helping?

Earlier Daylight Savings - Not Helping?

abcnews.go.com

Congress's logic was simple. If there's an extra hour of sunlight in the evening, people will turn on fewer lights.

But Ryan Kellogg and Hendrik Wolff, who are working on their doctorates in economics, say the reduced need for light in the evening will likely be negated by the increased need in the early morning.

The folks in Washington apparently hadn't considered this. The daylight savings shift was a three-paragraph item in a 550-page energy bill in 2005.

Our results show that the extension failed to conserve electricity," they wrote.

"If it's dark enough in the morning that pretty much everyone has to turn on the lights," said co-author Kellogg, "what that means is that that increase in morning electricity consumption is going to be so big that it offsets any benefits we get from the extra light in the evening."

In fact, the two said, shifting Australians' clocks led to a tiny increase in power use
Australia, of course, is not America, but the two researchers say their study is not a good sign. "While we cannot directly apply our results to other countries without adjustment for behavioral and climatic differences, this study raises concern that the U.S. is unlikely to see the anticipated energy conservation benefits from extending DST."

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 11/3/2007 by enjoies05]

So after all that fuss with computers being messed up plus all the other things tied in with this - it won't even do what is was thought up for?

abcnews.go.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 11/3/2007 by enjoies05]

I like the idea in principle. It makes sense. I understand the argument that people having to use their lights in the morning would offset the savings from the evening. I don't know about most people, but I wake up in the morning with about enough time to get ready and leave. So my point here is that most people don't use their electricity all that much in the morning as compared to the evening because everyone is at work.

I like the new earlier daylight savings time. Sure there may be some people that have to use their lights in the morning, but as a whole I think that there will be a savings in the long run. I wish they would leave the time like this all the time.

I hate daylight saving time. It's the dumbest idea in all of history. It reminds me of the guy who, because his blanket was too short to cover his feet, cut six inches of the top and sewed it to the bottom.

[edit on 2007/3/11 by GradyPhilpott]