“If you are anything like me this time of year, you are keenly aware that the days are finally starting to get noticeably longer.  To me, there is nothing worse than looking out the window at 6:00 p.m. into pitch-blackness.  The longer daylight cheers me up, and I am already thinking about outdoor projects for spring and summer.

More daylight hours have another positive effect.  Cheery natural light takes the place of electric lights in our homes.  Solar heating keeps our houses warmer in the early evenings, reducing our reliance on home heating oil and natural gas.  Finally, when dusk arrives later, our roads become safer since visibility is improved by sunlight.  The benefits of a longer day would include lower crime and fewer traffic accidents and fatalities.

 

With these benefits in mind, Congress acted in 2005 to lengthen Daylight Savings Time as part of the implementation of a national energy policy.  During a time when U.S. dependence on foreign sources of oil poses a strategic economic concern, as well as a national security concern, we must be creative to find energy savings.

 

The greatest impact of more Daylight Savings Time would arise from the energy efficiencies created during those later hours of daylight.  Estimates state the U.S. could save 100,000 barrels of oil for each extra day of Daylight Savings Time – 2.8 million barrels over the course of four additional weeks of Daylight Savings Time.  The savings translate to the family budget in the form of lower electricity bills and reductions in the use of utilities. 

 

Every degree helps the family budget, too.  In summer, each degree above 75 degrees on the thermostat can save three percent on air conditioning costs.  Each degree above 78 can save six percent.  In much the same way, incremental savings in oil help to reduce overall U.S. dependence on foreign sources of energy.  Just like every degree on the thermostat, every hour of extra daylight helps save energy.

 

Next weekend, on March 11, the new law will take effect and Daylight Savings Time will begin three weeks earlier than it did last year.

 

This is not the first time Congress has amended the dates of Daylight Savings Time; one previous change was a trial for year-round Daylight Savings Time in 1974, at the height of the OPEC oil embargo. 

 

Volatile markets for oil and fuel affect every American household.  This historic change in Daylight Savings Time affords us a valuable opportunity to assess our energy consumption and look for savings we can achieve on our own.  Here are just a few ideas for creating additional energy savings around the house: wrapping pipes in insulation, keeping unnecessary lights off, changing the furnace filters and programming our thermostats to moderate temperatures for nighttime hours or daytime when we are at school or the workplace.  Even cleaning all the dust that accumulates in the coils behind the refrigerator can pare dollars off our annual electricity bills.

Saving energy carries more than financial benefits – it also helps reduce the emissions of burning fossil fuels to produce electricity. 

And do not forget to use that extra hour of light next week to daydream of summer.”