Here & There Column 11-13-07

Daylight Saving Time Does Save Energy

Well we've all switched and all of our Coffee Klatsch members disagree with the turning back of our clocks on November 3.
Mixed in with our own home brewed Java and home made donuts was the continuous theory that we here in this state and country are just not interested in saving energy.
Bottom line is that Daylight Saving Time does save energy. It was pointed out by one member of our Klatsch that Daylight Saving Time trims the entire country's electrical usage by a small but significant amount.
Statistics according to studies show that Daylight Saving Time results in less electricity used for lighting and appliances.
One of group said in some parts of the world power companies have found that power usage decreases three to four percent when daylight saving starts.
Interesting to hear that in the first week of Daylight Saving Time the peak evening consumption drops around five percent.
Several cups of coffee later and well into our second dozen of donuts it was pointed out that energy use and the demand for electricity for lighting homes is directly related to the times when people go to bed at night and rise in the morning. It is noted that in the average home, 25 percent of electricity is used for lighting and small appliances and a good percentage of energy consumed by lighting and appliances occurs in the evening, but, by moving the clock ahead one hour, the amount of electricity consumed each day decreases.
It was interesting to hear some comments there are some folks that dislike Daylight Saving Time and the most frequent complaints include the changing many clocks and adjusting to a new sleep schedule. It was actually pointed out by one member of our coffee klatsch that his wife has a sleep disorder and finds this transition extremely difficult.
One thing that many of us did not know is that there is evidence that the severity of auto accidents increases and work productivity decreases as people adjust to the time change,
When asked about how long Daylight Saving Time has been around one of our group said it has been used in the United States and many European countries since World War 1 in an effort to conserve fuel needed to produce electric power.
We finished all the coffee and donuts and were somewhat puzzled that with the need to save energy and our resources we just don't seem to care enough to take the necessary steps that can help us not be so dependent on foreign oil.
Wake up America......the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act was signed into law on January 4, 1974......it's time we started giving some serious thought on how we can save energy and this may be part of it.