Daylight Saving Time Ends Tonight. But Why Were We "Saving" Time Anyway?

Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in the autumn.

So why do we Fall Back?

The idea of daylight saving time was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 during his stay in Paris. He published an essay titled “An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light” that proposed to economize the use of candles by rising earlier to make use of the morning sunlight.

Do we really save daylight?

Technically, there is no way to save daylight, but by taking avantage of the daylight that is available each day you can save energy by not having to use as much artificial light and thus it saves money.  

This is the main rationale for the change in time.  By every individual using one hour less of artificial light during DST, a period of more than 200 days, it equates to an enormous amount of savings as a nation.

The idea of Daylight Saving is not without debate.

Opponents argue that actual energy savings are inconclusive, that DST can disrupt morning activities, and that the act of changing clocks twice a year is economically and socially disruptive and cancels out any benefit. Groups that have tended to oppose DST are farmers, transportation companies, and the indoor (or darkness reliant) entertainment business.

DST is not observed during late fall and winter.  Because the mornings are darker during that time of the year; workers may have no sunlit leisure time and children may need to leave for school in the dark.

Of course, that is just reality when it come to this time of the year.  In addition to the shorter days, however, temps only get colder next week. 

When to expect highs in the 30's with a chance of snow on our next Edition of WxLIVEat845 Monday night.  See you then!

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