Daylight Saving Time Ends This Weekend — Here’s Why It’s Happening

I walked the dog with the flashlight this morning. That’s because, in my part of the world, the sun didn’t rise until 7:34am ET.

Of course, next Friday will be different. We will officially “come back” by one hour on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at 2 AM local time, when Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends. That should mean next week it will be light closer to 6:30 am ET (although of course, as my husband reminded me, that means it will be dark earlier – sunset is scheduled for 4:52 pm ET).

But why does the change happen at all? And why is it happening on November 3rd this year?

Background

Before 1966, the laws setting daylight saving time dates were somewhat fluid. The United States officially adopted DST during World War I—after Germany did so—but the unpopular law was soon struck down. It continued to be observed sporadically in some states until World War II, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed temporary DST back into law. As before, the law did not continue after the war.

That changed in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson signed it Uniform time act in the law requiring DST to be simplified nationwide, beginning on the last Sunday of April and ending on the last Sunday of October each year. The dates were changed again 20 years later under Ronald Reagan, who changed the time to start at 2am on the first Sunday in April and end at 2am on the last Sunday in October . Only about 20 years later, President Bush signed it Energy Policy Act of 2005 which had as its short title “To secure jobs for our future with safe, affordable and reliable energy”. In addition to a slew of tax cuts, the law also extended DST by four weeks—which is why we “go back” to the first Sunday in November now, instead of October.

beginnings

The beginnings of DST are sometimes attributed to Benjamin Franklin. The idea appeared in his 1784 essay, “An Economic Project,” though many are quick to point out that it was meant to be satire. In the essay, Franklin calculates the hours spent burning candles and states: A huge amount! that the city of Paris might save every year, by the economy of using sunlight instead of candles.

Energy Policy

Whether Franklin actually inspired DST in the US may be a matter of debate, but it is clear that the underlying concept is what drives DST today. It all depends on energy policy and money. This is contrary to popular opinion, which suggests that DST was adopted in America to accommodate farmers. In fact, according to Tufts University professor Michael Downing, “This is completely the opposite of what is true. Farmers were the only organized lobby against daylight saving in the country’s history.” Why? Among other reasons, it left them with an hour less sunlight to bring the crops to market.

Instead, DST has been linked to energy policy and saving money, often accompanied by fiscal changes. The Energy Policy Act of 2005—the one that expanded DST—was no exception. It took several years to conclude, largely because of a controversy over whether energy policy should favor fossil fuels or solar and wind power. The incentives resulting from energy policy were to be implemented through a mix of new rules and tax credits.

Tax credits

A popular tax credit in the 2005 Act was for fuel efficient vehicles (conventional hybrid vehicles). The credit, which allowed tax breaks for eligible vehicles, expired in 2010. Todayif you buy a new electric vehicle (EV) or fuel cell vehicle (FCV) in 2023 or later, you can qualify for a Clean Vehicle Tax Credit of up to $7,500 — The Inflation Relief Act of 2022 changed the rules for this credit apply to vehicles purchased from 2023 to 2032.

The 2005 Act also proposed a federal tax credit for energy efficient residential properties and energy efficiency improvements to residential homes, including the purchase of certain doors, windows, insulation and the like. There are still incentives, but the energy-efficient residential property credit is now the residential clean energy credit and allows a 30% credit for property placed in service in 2022 through 2032. The non-business energy property credit is now the for energy efficient home improvement and extends to properties placed in service until December 31, 2032.

Tax credits often “sweeten the deal” for other policy initiatives, which is why DST was extended as part of the 2005 Act. The idea behind the extension was that by extending daylight hours, we would also reduce energy consumption. If the day seems longer because the light is longer, it should follow that there would be less demand for electricity in the evening. But that may not be true: it may actually cost us money.

Call for change

While studies indicate a slight change in demand in the evening, some studies have indicated that any savings are offset by higher energy demand in the morning. And you can’t count the time spent changing watches. In 2010, Utah State University economist William F. Shughart II suggested that turning the clocks back and forth each year results in $1.7 billion in lost opportunity costs each year in the US alone. His calculations assumed that each person over the age of 18 spent about 10 minutes changing clocks instead of doing something more productive. Of course, in a digital-centric world, this number should decrease. It should. But when I try to figure out which clocks in my house actually have the right time, I’m not so sure that’s the case.

Many Americans don’t see the benefits of STDs. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, terrible 63% of Americans favors the elimination of seasonal time changes. There are plenty of reasons, including better emotional health: A team of researchers from the departments of psychiatry and political science at the universities of Aarhus, Copenhagen and Stanford finder that the change in time appears to be closely related to a jump in depression diagnoses. It can even cost us a lot of money. According to a study by JPMorgan Chase, economic activity falls by 2.2% when the clocks turn back.

However, most of the country continues to observe daylight savings time. Hawaii and Arizona (excluding residents of the Navajo Nation) are outliers, as are the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

By law, states have the right to opt out. In 2018, a Florida bill to repeal DST in the state, the Sunshine Protection Act, passed (33-2) and was endorsed by then-governor Rick Scott. Problem? Under federal law, the state still requires approval from the feds, and that hasn’t happened.

In 2018, three Florida lawmakers (Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and Representative Vern Buchanan) introduced federal legislation, also called the Sunshine Protection Act, to make DST permanent year-round. If passed, the legislation would apply to states that participate in DST, which most states observe for eight months of the year. The bill has been introduced in each Congress since 2018, including March 2023but it’s not over yet.

While most Americans seem to support eliminating the change, they aren’t sold on the way forward. Having DST year-round would mean later sunrises and sunsets, while keeping standard time year-round would result in earlier sunrises and sunsets. What is the best outcome?

For now, the time lag remains in effect. That means we’ll be back here next year around the same time, assuming I finally get all my watches on.

ForbesChanges to the energy tax credit are starting to line up for 2025Of Marie Sapirie