by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
One of the biggest myths regarding Daylight Saving Time is that it saves energy; it doesn't really. So, what's the point of switching back and forth? Little, it would seem.
Daylight saving time is upon us, once again and with it, longer, more light-filled days.
The hope is that we save energy – since there's less of a need to switch on the lights if natural light will do. However, studies have shown the electricity conserved on the new schedule is actually pretty nominal, if any at all. The disruption caused to farming and other trades are significant though. Animals, for instance, do not do time changes.
On the bright side, obviously, it is nice to have those “longer” light-filled days .
The idea of Daylight Saving Time was, apparently, first floated back in 1784 by one Benjamin Franklin. While minister of France he wrote the essay “An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light.”
The idea, however, failed to see the light of day – pardon the pun – until practically 100 years later, when the U.S. railroads instituted a standardized time for their train schedules. That time change was imposed nationally during the first World War to conserve energy, but was repealed after the war ended. It became the national time again during World War II.
After that, it was a free-for-all of states deciding if they wanted it, and when it would start and end. Congress finally enacted the Uniform Time Act in 1966, which decreed that if a state chose to opt in to daylight saving, it had to be at the same time as everyone else.
Britain used to do GMT and BST on and off and now we have been back on for some time already while mainland Europe has only introduced Daylight Saving Time (or summer time, as it is called here) in the last twenty or so year. Prior to that it has been rarely ever in use. Central European Time was Central European Time all year round, which meant that during summer Europe, such as France, Netherlands, Germany, etc., were on the same time as Britain while in winter they would be an hour ahead.
The claim, as said, that Daylight Saving Time saves electricity is more or less a myth though, in some ways one would think that it does considering that really you do not have the electric lights on when the daylight, the natural light, is on.
The other problem is that the change over will disrupt peoples' sleep patterns and can be serious even. While the shift is only one hour sleep disorder specialists say you should prepare yourself: You actually can lose sleep over the time change. Experts suggest being well rested before the time change by getting up and going to bed an hour earlier.
What a palaver. Why not just stay permanently on one time, such as GMT. It was good enough for Britain ever since the arrival of the railways and no one played with summer time until well into the next century. Human beings used to adjust their own rhythms to the daylight. That, however, did not work in the new industrialised era and nowadays the powers-that-be just could not possibly allow that.
The talk in the UK (and elsewhere in Europe) is to go to double summer time, meaning summer time +1 and remaining in such a +1 setting all year round. The claim is that is saves energy and also reduces accidents. I could now mention flying porkers again but won't.
© 2011
