Daylight savings: study concludes it doesn't save on energy costs

Justin Lahart of the Wall Street Journal reports today on a study done by University of California - Santa Barbara economists on whether daylight savings actually saves on the use of energy. 

For decades, conventional wisdom has held that daylight-saving time, which begins March 9, reduces energy use. But a unique situation in Indiana provides evidence challenging that view: Springing forward may actually waste energy.

Up until two years ago, only 15 of Indiana's 92 counties set their clocks an hour ahead in the spring and an hour back in the fall. The rest stayed on standard time all year, in part because farmers resisted the prospect of having to work an extra hour in the morning dark. But many residents came to hate falling in and out of sync with businesses and residents in neighboring states and prevailed upon the Indiana Legislature to put the entire state on daylight-saving time beginning in the spring of 2006.

Indiana's change of heart gave University of California-Santa Barbara economics professor Matthew Kotchen and Ph.D. student Laura Grant a unique way to see how the time shift affects energy use. Using more than seven million monthly meter readings from Duke Energy Corp., covering nearly all the households in southern Indiana for three years, they were able to compare energy consumption before and after counties began observing daylight-saving time. Readings from counties that had already adopted daylight-saving time provided a control group that helped them to adjust for changes in weather from one year to the next.

Their finding: Having the entire state switch to daylight-saving time each year, rather than stay on standard time, costs Indiana households an additional $8.6 million in electricity bills. They conclude that the reduced cost of lighting in afternoons during daylight-saving time is more than offset by the higher air-conditioning costs on hot afternoons and increased heating costs on cool mornings.

[ ... ]

In 2005, Reps. Edward J. Markey (D) of Massachusetts and Fred Upton (R) of Michigan drafted legislation that would extend daylight-saving time nationwide. Congress approved the amendment, which called for clocks to be sprung forward a week earlier in the spring and to be set back three weeks later in the fall. The change went into effect last year.

The energy-savings numbers often cited by lawmakers and others come from research conducted in the 1970s. Yet a key difference between now and the '70s -- or, for that matter, Ben Franklin's time -- is the prevalence of air conditioning.

[ ... ]

Still, the case on daylight-saving time isn't closed.

[... ]

There may also be social benefits to daylight-saving time that weren't covered in the research. When the extension of daylight-saving time was proposed by Mr. Markey, he cited studies that noted "less crime, fewer traffic fatalities, more recreation time and increased economic activity" with the extra sunlight in the evening.

In Indiana, the debate goes on. "The simpler the issue, the more people have opinions about it," says Indiana State Rep. Scott Reske, who voted against the switch to daylight-saving time. In the aftermath of the time shift, "a lot of people who hated it now love it, and a lot of people who loved it now hate it," he says. A separate debate over whether the state should be on Central or Eastern Time rages on.

Comments

[Roger McNeill]

Well, if you want to take a straw poll ... I didn't want it, hate it even more than originally anticipated, and think we belong in the Central Zone anyway.

[Bob Gaul]

Mitch:
We had DST in Philly as long as I can remember, and other than it being a bother (mom used to change the clocks back the night before and dad was always trying to figure out what he was SUPPOSED to be watching on TV that night), I don't recall us "saving" a darn thing.

We just put on our blinders and did what we were told back then.

Today's world of efficiency demands we make the best of whatever time we have, and after reading so many pros AND cons on the subject, I'm leaning towards the "we don't really need DST" crowd.

SO if we're NOT saving anything, why bother keeping it?
Dump it.
Nothing's broke...so nothing needs fixing.

B.G.

[Jon Myers]

I worked for two years for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and met with a number of companies who expanded their operations in Indiana after we went to DST. Transportation and logistics companies in particular found it too expensive and/or bothersome to locate here, because they had to reprogram their computer schedules every six months to get them to link up with their national system. It was easier just to set up shop across the state line in Ohio. This was one small thing that brought jobs to Indiana that didn't cost us anything in tax abatements or infrastructure grants.

I would agree that we should put the entire state on Central Time, but that is a totally separate issue and we need to stay on daylight savings time as long as the rest of the businesses in North America are.

Aside from the economic benefit, I personally like being able to come home after work, eat dinner, and still have time to mow my lawn while it's light out.

[Karen Goldner]

Jon, if we moved to central time here in Allen County, then we will be going back to the bad-old-days of our "long days" ending at 8 p.m.! Of course, that is made up by the sun starting to rise about 4:30 a.m. so the birds start chirping at 4. Good times.

I agree with you that we need to be on the same system as everyone else - we may think that the rest of the country should adjust to Hoosier Time but they certainly don't think so, and that is to our detriment more than theirs. But I don't understand why it is important that the entire state be on one time zone. As long as it's consistent throughout the year, I think we are smart enough to learn which counties are on central time and which are on eastern!

[Craig Ladwig]

Another failed example of a sophisticate returning from the East Coast (Daniels, in this case) to show us rubes how it's done. We must be near the point (once suggested by the late William F. Buckley) where we would be better of being governed by people pulled off the street at random. Then, at least, common sense might come into play.

[Paul O'Malley]

My chief complaint with (Eastern) Daylight Saving is the effect it has on my kids. This isn't a complaint about waiting in the dark for the bus, it is a complaint about them starting school in the dark in October, early November, January, and again in March. The National Sleep Foundation and a study of the Edina, Minnesota schools strongly support kids, particularly teenagers, having at least an hour of daylight before school starts in order to perform at their best. But I just can imagine the uproar of trying to change school schedules to provide that hour.

The energy issue raised by the study, the education issues and the economic development issues of staying at the same relative time vis-a-vis most of the rest of the continent would be met by moving to the Central Time Zone.

[Pat Andrews]

Bob said: "Transportation and logistics companies in particular found it too expensive and/or bothersome to locate here, because they had to reprogram their computer schedules every six months to get them to link up with their national system. It was easier just to set up shop across the state line in Ohio. This was one small thing that brought jobs to Indiana that didn't cost us anything in tax abatements or infrastructure grants."

I don't know what brand of computer you have, but mine has and 'Indiana' setting and I never had to reprogram it.

Mitch Daniels keeps throwing out 'it will bring jobs' as a shield to sell his proposals, but never shows the real jobs that his programs brought after the fact.

As far as I'm concerned, the real argument for DST was 'if this is Indiana, what time is it?'. Only, that is still a relevant question.

Same as it ever was.

[David Kinney]

February 27,2008 Wall Street Journal article focusing on a University of California-Santa Barbara study of The effects of Eastern daylight savings time on energy usage in Indiana found a significant increase (1-4% or $8.6 million a year) in electricity usage. This was the primary premise of daylight savings time to conserve energy. This study further substantiates the claim I made in 2005 that an air conditioner uses more electricity than a light bulb. On this evidence alone, Indiana needs to be moved out of double-daylight savings time (Eastern) and to its rightful geographical daylight savings time (Central) with no discussion.
However for those that wish to focus on the social benefits of Eastern daylight savings time, there are none. Many restaurants (not fast food) have suffered as a result of double daylight savings time. Movie theatres (indoor and outdoor) have suffered as well. The crime rate in Indianapolis has actually risen since daylight savings time has been in effect. And the argument of improving the quality of life by having more time to exercise is disproved by looking at the recent obesity studies that show at least a 10 percentage point decrease in the rate of obesity between the far eastern side of the Central time zone (i.e. Illinois), and the far western side of the Eastern time zone, thus reflecting that the extra hour of daylight in the evening is having a deliterious effect ( via eating late, and then going to bed) versus exercising late in the evening (which the obesity study disproves).

I had an opportunity to meet and talk to Governor Daniels about a
week ago, and the time issue came up in the discussion. He couldn't see the
purpose of having a state wide referendum, because "your never going to get
the people in Lake County to move to eastern time," said the governor.
Pretty sure of himself that the entire state wants eastern time. I had a
notion to tell him to put his money where his mouth is, and have a
referendum to see for himself. Also I spoke to him about how he could
justify splitting up a basic trading area (i.e. Starke, Marshall & St.
Joseph Counties). He said that was up to the DOT. I told him I have 40,000
customers of mine that come from Starke County, and are alway late to see a
movie ( at the indoor movie theatre I operate). His response was "It's been
3 years. Haven't they got used to it yet. Maybe you should give them a piece
of paper (i.e. stating the theatre is on eastern time)." Wow! Couldn't we
have applied that same rationale to daylight savings time, as if to say
"It's been 35 years. Haven't they got used to it yet. Maybe you should give
you customers a piece of paper." But wait a minute. We're in a global
economy. Don't global businesses run off of GMT.

[Ken Schenk]

Jon Myers, you said it well. Craig Ladwig, easy on the caffiene there buddy, but you do reveal a deeply disguised bit of wisdom.

I remain miffed and mystified why this issue continues to dominate discussion and debate year after year after year.

The cows still need milked when they're full. The grass still needs cut before dark. It is still best to get your rest while the sun is down. It is still most efficient to accomplish your chores when the light of day is upon us.

Please pick one time and stay with it. If it becomes a problem for you, please move. I am tired of hearing about it and I am tired of changing clocks. It actually strikes me as silly.

I wonder how an alien culture just in from another galaxy might view this clock changing ritual.

[C. Edward Eckert]

We should keep in mind that alot of logistics companies were here before DST. e.i. FedEx, General Dollar distribution center, Pendelton's Tractor Supply distribution, RV dealers. They are here because of Indiana's central location not DST. Will it save these companies money? Maybe, but I don't think its a make or break factor.