History and Origins
The phenomenon of changing the clocks for one hour in summer so that the evening daylight lasts an hour longer is called daylight saving time. Technically it means that people fall back for an hour and get an extra one in the evening on November 6.
The idea of Daylight Saving Time is only 100 years old and Canada was the first country to use it in 1908. In 1961 Germany joined this change. The idea intended to decrease the use of artificial lighting to save fuel during the period of World War I. The idea quickly inspired the United Kingdom and France. When the war was over, a number of countries returned to the standard clock time. This change, however, revived when the Second World War covered Europe.
However, history shows that ancient civilizations also used a practice alike. They adjusted their daily schedules to the Sun’s schedule.
Daylight Saving Time in the United States
Many societies quickly accepted the Daylight Saving Time. The reason was simple and understandable. People need time, and in this way, they preserved an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. Every spring more than 70 countries turn their clocks an hour ahead to save daylight.
Research done by the US government in 1975 illustrates that daylight saving time decreases the entire country’s electricity usage by a significant amount.
Most of the United States begins Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. in March. It reverts to standard time in November on Sundays.
Effectiveness
The electricity usage for lighting homes is related to when people go to bed at night and when they start their day. An average home uses 25 percent of the electricity for lighting and small appliances.
Shortly after, the daylight saving time began affecting to other conservation of natural resources like water and gas usage. As both are directly connected with the electricity. And the idea of daylight saving time truly justified these rationalizations.
DST has also influenced the public health. Health workers assume that the number of traffic accidents has decreased greatly. The social workers claim that the number of stressed and depressed people has gone down. This is explained by the fact that people mostly manage their stuff and get enough sleep.
Seasonal Demonstrations
In the summer, people who woke up before the sun usually used more energy in the morning before DST came ahead. However, although 70 percent of Americans rose before 7:00 a.m. Consequently, most United States inhabitants wasted a great amount of energy because of the lake of natural sunlight in mornings.
In winters, people used electricity to lighten their apartments and for a number of home alliances.
As a conclusion, we can add that Daylight Saving Time saves energy for lighting in all seasons of the year. Its savings are lesser in winter when there’s need for lighting because of late sunrise.
Daylight Saving Time is now in use in over 70 countries worldwide and affects the half of world population. The time differs from country to country. However, the daylight saving time does affect both the world electricity economy and nature in general.