Remind Me, Why Exactly Do We Need To 'Spring Forward' This Sunday For Daylight Saving Time?
KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.
Q: Hey Ro, I'm ready for daylight saving Time. When does it change again. -Morning Anchor Frank Mallicoat
A: The state of California (and most of the United States) return to Daylight Saving Time this Sunday Morning at 2 a.m. (Spring forward!).
While it is believed about 70 countries observe Daylight Saving Time, most of the state of Arizona is EXEMPT from DST. Hawaii does not observe the change, either. In addition, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will not "Spring Ahead or Fall Back."
Why make the switch? There are a couple of reasons. First off, during World War I, Daylight Saving Time was put into place to save fuel by reducing the need to use artificial lighting. Similarly, a huge reason we change our clocks to Daylight Saving Time today is it supposedly saves electricity. The average home is believed to use 25% of all its electricity on lighting and small appliances. By moving the clock ahead one hour, the amount of electricity we consume each day is cut significantly.
"The Uniform Time Act" was established in 1966. This is the official law stating most states alternate between Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time. Daylight Saving Time is always the second Sunday of March at 2:00 a.m. It lasts until the first Sunday of November at 2:00 a.m (when we set our clocks back one hour).
My question is (and I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!), if we are saving electricity or energy, why don't we maintain Daylight Saving Time 12 months a year?
Do you have a question, comment or photo to share with me? I would enjoy hearing from you! Please email me at: Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com
