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Daylight Saving Time Wastes Energy

Posted by kdawson on from the back-to-nature's-clock dept.

An anonymous reader writes "With the time approaching when we'll be changing our clocks again, the Wall Street Journal is running a timely article on a study done by a UC-Santa Barbara economics professor and a Ph.D. student. The study unambiguously concludes that Daylight Saving Time not only doesn't save any energy, it actually wastes energy and costs more. The study used energy company records from Indiana before and after that state mandated DST for all of its counties, and calculated that the switch cost Indiana citizens $8.6M per year. 'I've never had a paper with such a clear and unambiguous finding as this,' the professor said."

4 of 550 comments (clear)

  1. Who Benefits? by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 5, Funny
    The story I've heard is that Daylight Saving Time legislation is driven by the companies that make charcoal barbecue briquettes. They don't care if your home uses more heat in the morning. They just want you to have a nice, long, bright evening in which you will have the desire to use their products.

    Bruce

    --
    Bruce Perens.
  2. Re:Why not do it like AZ? by alshithead · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Skip DST entirely. No clock changes at all."

    Yeah, let's do away with all of this time zone crap too. I think the folks on the other side of the world from me can all go third shift.

    --
    I reserve the right to think for myself. Others' opinions are optional. Puppy on lap = typos...not illiteracy.
  3. Re:You're close, actually by Phroggy · · Score: 5, Funny

    The other end was extended to include Halloween for safety reasons; kids can go Trick-Or-Treating in daylight.

    --
    $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
    $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  4. Re:DST Improves Quality of Life by Gutboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe we should just set the clocks so the sun comes up at noon. That way you'll get to see a beautiful sunrise over lunch, it will be nice and bright outside when you get home, and the sun will set sometime after you go to sleep.