Daylights Saving Time

[jeders]

DST was invented to allow our farmers to be more productive. That is no longer the case since so much of our agriculture is automated. It just isn't worth it.

I think you have that a little backwards. Farmers have never particularly liked DST because they're usually up before the sun anyway, DST actually makes farmers less productive because there's more darkness in the mornings when they're feeding animals.

If I remember my high school American history, DST came into effect during WWI to reduce coal consumption so that more coal could be used in the war effort.

[mikeylikey]

^ Agreed.  The town I used to live (Evansville Indiana) actually petitioned the Federal Government to be exempt from DST.  It was historically a farming town, and they used the "our Cows need sleep" motion to get exemption.  So the little portion of Indiana that does not change with the rest of the country can be driven through in 20 to 25 minutes. Never phased any residents, really didn't notice any problems not adjusting clocks twice a year either!

[mynetdude]

Look to be honest I don't see how DST really has any effect, you're going to use coal/oil/gas/electricity to heat your house regardless of what time of the day it is because if its cold you'll heat it...  if you normally leave for work at 6am every day, what difference does it MAKE?! It doesn't! you leave at 6am, you turn off your furnace... you come home at 5pm it is starting to get cold but it isn't cold yet you still set your temperature to your desired temperature so that when it DOES get cold 30-40-70 minutes later its already going... I fail to see how that makes any difference whether or not there is a time shift for DST... you're going to consume the same amount of energy no matter the time shift difference.

Yeah sure, the sun stays out longer, keeping your house warmer as the summer months get closer, that means there will be a decrease of need for heat not because of the time change... that is happening because of the SUN! (earth's rotation/axis is changing for the seasons).

So despite history saying that it was used to conserve energy... I don't see how that is possible by my explanation... being able to do something in a different part of the day that you wouldn't normally do when not in DST... right now its 5:30 instead of 4:30 you can still be outside rather than inside has nothing to do with energy savings... that all comes with the sun staying out much longer in the spring/summer months.

And really to be honest... I don't even wake up to time, I wake up when the sun comes up or a short while after it does... big deal... at encampment obviously this is a problem for me even though I bring my alarm clock with me. /me sighs

[SSgt Rudin]

Look to be honest I don't see how DST really has any effect, you're going to use coal/oil/gas/electricity to heat your house regardless of what time of the day it is because if its cold you'll heat it...  if you normally leave for work at 6am every day, what difference does it MAKE?! It doesn't! you leave at 6am, you turn off your furnace... you come home at 5pm it is starting to get cold but it isn't cold yet you still set your temperature to your desired temperature so that when it DOES get cold 30-40-70 minutes later its already going... I fail to see how that makes any difference whether or not there is a time shift for DST... you're going to consume the same amount of energy no matter the time shift difference.

Yeah sure, the sun stays out longer, keeping your house warmer as the summer months get closer, that means there will be a decrease of need for heat not because of the time change... that is happening because of the SUN! (earth's rotation/axis is changing for the seasons).

So despite history saying that it was used to conserve energy... I don't see how that is possible by my explanation... being able to do something in a different part of the day that you wouldn't normally do when not in DST... right now its 5:30 instead of 4:30 you can still be outside rather than inside has nothing to do with energy savings... that all comes with the sun staying out much longer in the spring/summer months.

And really to be honest... I don't even wake up to time, I wake up when the sun comes up or a short while after it does... big deal... at encampment obviously this is a problem for me even though I bring my alarm clock with me. /me sighs

Works the same with A/C during the summer, and with the sun being out longer we will just use the same amount of energy to cool our houses/place of business regardless of what time it is.

[mynetdude]

Look to be honest I don't see how DST really has any effect, you're going to use coal/oil/gas/electricity to heat your house regardless of what time of the day it is because if its cold you'll heat it...  if you normally leave for work at 6am every day, what difference does it MAKE?! It doesn't! you leave at 6am, you turn off your furnace... you come home at 5pm it is starting to get cold but it isn't cold yet you still set your temperature to your desired temperature so that when it DOES get cold 30-40-70 minutes later its already going... I fail to see how that makes any difference whether or not there is a time shift for DST... you're going to consume the same amount of energy no matter the time shift difference.

Yeah sure, the sun stays out longer, keeping your house warmer as the summer months get closer, that means there will be a decrease of need for heat not because of the time change... that is happening because of the SUN! (earth's rotation/axis is changing for the seasons).

So despite history saying that it was used to conserve energy... I don't see how that is possible by my explanation... being able to do something in a different part of the day that you wouldn't normally do when not in DST... right now its 5:30 instead of 4:30 you can still be outside rather than inside has nothing to do with energy savings... that all comes with the sun staying out much longer in the spring/summer months.

And really to be honest... I don't even wake up to time, I wake up when the sun comes up or a short while after it does... big deal... at encampment obviously this is a problem for me even though I bring my alarm clock with me. /me sighs

Works the same with A/C during the summer, and with the sun being out longer we will just use the same amount of energy to cool our houses/place of business regardless of what time it is.

Well thats essentially my point, it doesn't matter what time of the day you drive, live, sleep whatever your lights will always be on when its dark, it will always go off during the daytime unless you don't have any windows or you use extremely dark courtains.

Yes the amount of daylight/night time is different in the summer than you have in the winter time for obvious said reasons.  DST doesn't do anything but move you to a different "spot" in the day and in theory almost puts you into the future but not enough to be a massive change.

I have heard the "future" theory, contrary to what wikipedia says and if you go to www.timeanddate.com they have a bit of tidbit about DST as well that explains DST in WWI/WWII and such nothing about "future" though I can see that theory as a slight happening.

[mikeylikey]

Unless DST saves me $$ on Gasoline, then to hell with it!  Can any of you believe I just paid near $60.00 to fill the tank up.  It would be different if I didn't remember it took only around $20.00 just a few years ago. 

Man....MSNBC reports that before summer hits (with anticipatory demand) GAS may be $4.50, and by the end of summer well over $5.00  This is going to be real huge. 

Sorry to shift topics, but DST means more people will be out driving in the daylight longer than usual.....right?!?!?

[SarDragon]

Unless DST saves me $$ on Gasoline, then to hell with it!  Can any of you believe I just paid near $60.00 to fill the tank up.  It would be different if I didn't remember it took only around $20.00 just a few years ago. 

Man....MSNBC reports that before summer hits (with anticipatory demand) GAS may be $4.50, and by the end of summer well over $5.00  This is going to be real huge. 

Sorry to shift topics, but DST means more people will be out driving in the daylight longer than usual.....right?!?!?

Lucky you - my last $60 fill up was almost a year ago. I got off cheap yesterday at $87 cuz I only put 24 gallons in my 'Burb.

[Major Carrales]

The PT Crusier I drive, bought for economics, takes about $25 to fill up.  I try to keep it full or a least 3/4 so i won't have to drop so much.

[mikeylikey]

^ They must have changed those cars, when they first came out, fuel burn rate was terrible...

[Major Carrales]

^ They must have changed those cars, when they first came out, fuel burn rate was terrible...

I drive a 2001, and have always had decent fuel economy.  It used to take about 13 dollars to fill it up.

[SJFedor]

Reasons why I drive a Saturn....I filled the tank from the "Low Fuel" light being on, and it was less than $30.

[♠SARKID♠]

Reasons why I drive a Saturn....I filled the tank from the "Low Fuel" light being on, and it was less than $30.

My truck's 30gal tank takes about $115 to fill from fumes to full...wanna trade?

[mikeylikey]

Reasons why I drive a Saturn....I filled the tank from the "Low Fuel" light being on, and it was less than $30.

My truck's 30gal tank takes about $115 to fill from fumes to full...wanna trade?

Yikes.....might be time to ask for a raise at the Piggle Wiggly 

[♠SARKID♠]

Reasons why I drive a Saturn....I filled the tank from the "Low Fuel" light being on, and it was less than $30.

My truck's 30gal tank takes about $115 to fill from fumes to full...wanna trade?

Yikes.....might be time to ask for a raise at the Piggle Wiggly 

It'd be a gutsy move, I was in some trouble a while back.  Alas, a story for another thread.

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[SSgt Rudin]

After all that, I never checked my alarm clock and missed my first class today   . It's supposed to be supper duper advanced and set it's self automatically, but then again I bought it before the whole moving DST up.  The GPS in my truck didn't update either, and when I checked my hand held the time was wrong too. Good to see that when congress moved DST up they coordinated with all the agencies effected.

[BlackKnight]

I fail to understand why Congress would pass a measure to extend DST if there wasn't some sort of advantage to it.  Do you?

If you are a student of history you will observe that the US Congress (which has partial control over the laws of man) routinely gets into a stupor where they convince themselves that they also have the power to change the laws of nature with the stroke of a pen.   DST is perhaps one of the best examples of that idiocy.

[davedove]

I understand the concept of using less energy because people don't have to turn on the lights as early, but isn't that countered by the extra energy people use to turn on the lights in the morning.  After all, this doesn't actually change the amount of daylight we get.

I have never understood the farmer angle either.  I grew up in the country and if you needed daylight to do something, you got up with the sun, NO  MATTER WHAT TIME THE CLOCK SAID.