Does Daylight Savings Time Make Sense?

Its that time of year again. Early March and we are setting our clocks ahead an hour. What is wrong with this you say? Daylight saving used to begin on the first Sunday in April and end the last Sunday in October.  It has been extended one week in the fall, which may not pose much of an issue, but it is the early start to daylight savings (basically 3 weeks earlier) that I (and others) object to.

Early March in the Northeast is still winter. Morning temperatures can be in the 20s or 30s.  The days have gotten longer since December and now we can wake to morning sunlight and warmth coming through our windows. Our bodies circadian rhythms ensure that it is easier to wake up when it is light outside.  We don't need to use as much heat (and lights) in the morning on standard time. My neighbors walk their dogs in daylight, kids are driving to high school while it is light out.  It is light out in the evening now past 6 pm- enough time to drive home while its light and maybe go for a walk outside.

By shifting back to DST too early: my neighbors are now walking their dogs in the dark, its cold and dark when we wake up, kids are driving to high school in the dark. Why? So we can have extra daylight from 6-7 pm? It is too cold outside to play golf or tennis now anyway. So there is no benefit of the extra daylight at that time.

Any energy saved in the evening is lost in the morning as more heat and light is needed on dark mornings.  No one has ever proved that DST saves energy for that matter.  DST is really pushed on us by sporting goods and other retailers who want you to go shopping after work and buy things. It really does not serve any other purposed.  The days naturally get longer in our latitudes as we move into spring and summer.

Lastly there is the nuisance of resetting all our clocks. Yes, my iPhone will do that on its own, but the clock in your car, the microwave and 10 other devices will need you to do it- twice a year. Its time to send DST to the dust bin, along with other ideas that no longer make sense.