
Does Daylight Saving Time Conserve Energy? - alecst
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=does-daylight-saving-times-save-energy
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ewiethoff
Aside from the abnormally long DST the US had one year during the energy
crisis of the early '70s, notice, if you are old enough, that DST gets a few
weeks longer every few years. The article states that DST boosts consumer
spending. So, I wouldn't be surprised if Congress has been lengthening DST to
boost consumer spending.

The article addresses the question of conservation of _electricity_ , but not
other forms of energy consumption. From the article, it's not clear whether
DST conserves electricity. But I've casually observed it increasing
driving/transportation.

If the sun is still up when people finish work, they are more likely to do
errands, paint the town, dine out, and so on. If the sun is still up after one
errand, another errand is likely. If the sun is still up after a bite of
pizza, a trip to the book store is likely. Etc. When you walk out of work or
some other establishment in the dark, that's when you're likely to go straight
home and stay there.

These away-from-home activities involve not only spending but
driving/transportation.

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time_management
I like DST, but not because it saves energy. It just seems silly to sleep
through the best light because the rest of the world is on a late cycle.

Before DST, factories and shops had summer and winter hours. Work might start
at 6:30 in the summer and 8:00 in the winter. DST is essentially a
standardization of that.

