Daylight Saving Time Increases Utility Bills

Although the newly extended Daylight Saving Time was implemented as a way to save energy, a University of California study shows that it actually increases utility bills. It is costing consumers an extra $3.19 per year.

The study used Indiana as a way to measure the changes. The state was only partially on DST until 2006. When Indiana implemented the new and extended version of DST, researchers compared the electricity bills from before and after. The result showed that Indiana residents paid an extra $8.6 million in electricity bills. The results are puzzling. One would think that if there is more daylight, residents would then logically use less light bulbs. This is true. However, air conditioners ran longer because of long, hot afternoons. Heaters were also run more often in the cool mornings, when it was still dark. The professor who conducted the study said he’s never gotten such unambiguous findings. There is no disputing his results. The rationale behind DST was attacked in 1976, when the system first started. Then, the National Bureau of Standards found that there were no significant energy savings after employing DST. The recent expansion of DST’s run has also not resulted in any saved energy. I wonder if we’ll ever be free of pointless clock-switching, dark mornings, endless evenings, cranky children, and sleep deprivation.