Daylight saving time was first introduced in the United States in 1918 and again during World War II to save on coal and the use of electricity.
Also known as "fast time", "war time" or "peace time", daylight saving time or the effort to conserve energy usually commenced from the last Sunday of April to the last Sunday of October. At the start of the 6-month daylight saving period, one hour would be added to the clock. At the end of the 6-month daylight saving period, one hour would be subtracted from to the clock. Hence "the sun will set at around 5 o’clock instead of 6, and it will be dark by 6 instead of 7."
Benjamin Franklin reportedly planted the idea of daylight saving time way back in 1780. One scientist made the point, "Even if the amount of savings in the afternoon were only equal to savings in the morning, it’s more important to save it in the afternoon because the demand on electrical systems in the country tends to peak in the afternoon."
It was pointed out, "...We don't associate the fact that when we turn on a light switch, coal is mined in a mine. It goes to a power plant that comes up the stack as acid rain producing sulfur dioxide, planet-cooking carbon dioxide."
It was also added, "If you could actually get energy savings and decrease carbon dioxide emissions just by adjusting the clock, that's certainly something we should at least consider."
In the end, "if daylight saving time doesn't save energy, it's hard to find a cogent reason to continue the experiment."
"The most persistent lobby on behalf of daylight savings has long been retailers and merchants," it was mentioned. "If you give people more light when they leave work, they will stop and shop on their way home."
With daylight saving time, "Most people feel they are gaining an extra hour to do things in. There's a lot of benefits that generally outweigh the negatives. Energy is just one of the impact areas."
