Change your clocks this weekend

[Yoming 2]

[CindyLouWho]

 

[Squid]

   Longer days!

[snap20]

A bit early isn't it? I think we changed them in the fall earlier than usual too though, right?

We really need to abolish DST. It no longer serves a purpose.

[Squid]

I disagree.  I think longer days have saved us millions of barrels of oil.  I say keep DST coming!  The environment and our pocketbooks can use the break.  The US government is running a seven year trial period where we change our clocks later in the fall (keeps Halloweeners safer, too) and then change again earlier in the spring.  This is year 4 or 5 of the experiment.  They will compile their data and make a decision if the later/earlier schedule should become permanent.  I hope it does.

[AustinBennett]

There are pros and cons. Doubt parents of inner city children want their kids hanging around in the morning dark waiting on the school bus for several months should DST become permanent. Daily commutes in the dark to work. Also it can be challenged that what daylight you gain in the evening is lost in the morning (there is only so many hours of sunshine which-ever way you go). 75% of the oil we consume is imported anyway and I doubt DST plays any factor there.
I'm against it and wish it would end. It was once a good idea, but has outlived it's original purpose.

[Squid]

What do oil imports have to do with it?  It's a fact that an immense amount of oil is saved with daylight savings.  Less importing of oil.

Aren't drives home going to occur in the dark then?  Going or coming.... who cares?

I my neighborhood and neighboring cities, no children are waiting in the dark to get to school.  Not one.

[gran2x2]

The only purpose DST has for me is as a reminder to change batteries in my smoke alarms..

[roadwarrior]

all I know in the winter months, between late September to Late January I'm going to work in the dark, coming home in the dark.  

The "kids walking to school in the dark" is bs.  Elementary school kids get home about 30 minutes before it gets dark outside.

When I was in 3rd grade, I got home from school about 3:30.  Too dark to play outside by 4:15.  

some 25+ years since I was in Elementary school, that fact has barely changed.  Kids still get home in the winter months with maybe 45 minutes, if they are lucky, before it's too dark to go outside.

Jr/Sr Kids walk to the bus stop anyway with it being dark outside if sunrise isn't until 7:45 am anyway.  Because of where I lived growing up, JR high started at 7:30, HS started at 7:45.  I had to be at the school bus stop at 6:30.  I hated the winter months because I had to catch the bus in the dark.

Now I live in the city.  School still starts about that time where I live.  I see kids walking to the bus stop as early as 7.  They pick up the JR/HS kids a block from my house and they have to walk as much as 2 blocks for the bus stop.  It's dark.  Not pitch black, but still dark out.  DST doesn't change that fact either.

As for keeping kids safe at Halloween and the DST issue, I don't know about other communities but-

It's become quite common in my state for communities to have a "downtown" Halloween.  For safety reasons.  Usually the Saturday before Halloween or the day of Halloween.  Kids go trick or treating in the downtown core area from like 2-4 or noon to 3:30.  Starts and ends long before it starts getting dark.

Major malls have trick or treating events.  Heck, even my towns sad little mall that's barely alive and hanging on even has a trick or treating event each year.  Community centers throw one.

So now if a parent is paranoid about their 5 year old wandering around possible dark streets collecting candy, there are tons more options today for kids to get their bag o loot on Halloween than when we were children.

[CindyLouWho]

What difference does any of it matter or what we want?  The darn government is going to do what it wants to do anyway & the heck with us, the people.   

[playerkane]

I know there are a few states that don't follow DST but mine is one that follows the turning of the clocks.

The thing I don't like about it is, it's throws my internal clock off!!    Takes me a few weeks to get adjusted. 

[Squid]

What difference does any of it matter or what we want?  The darn government is going to do what it wants to do anyway & the heck with us, the people.   

C'mon, Cindy!  Revolution in the town square!  

[gran2x2]

Arizona says screw you and threw out DST..They never change the clocks..

[snap20]

Arizona says screw you and threw out DST..They never change the clocks..

That's because the retirees down there can't figure out how to reset all their clocks twice a year. 

(Lived in AZ for a few years, that's an "inside" joke down there lol)

I'd like to see the figures on oil usage...As I don't see what difference it would make. It's still the same hours of daylight no matter what the clocks say. In our house, the thermostat is set on one number all winter long. So it would use the same amount of energy either way. There are no "longer days" because the days are the same length regardless of what our time pieces tell us.

[Squid]

The goal was to save energy, since people are more likely to use electricity during the early evening than in the early morning. A 2008 report found that individuals were reducing their energy usage by an average of 0.5 percent for each day of Extended Daylight Saving Time – resulting in $498 million in electricity savings and reduced oil usage of 2.9 million barrels.

[snap20]

Link to the report? Thanks Squid :)

[Squid]

There's plenty of info out there.

http://www-sigproc.eng.cam.ac.uk/~sih22/hill_desobry_chong_garnsey_10.pdf

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421507002273

https://www.indianamichiganpower.com/save/eNewsletter/ViewStory.aspx?StoryID=108

http://members.questline.com/Article.aspx?articleID=18688&accountID=1282&nl=12477