So tonight, we turn back the clock one hour or we “Fall Back” as the popular saying goes while in the spring, we “Spring Forward.” Nice play on words but is all of this back and forth really necessary?
I went on Wikipedia yesterday to read about “Daylight Saving Time” and learned that in France, they call it L’heure de l’été (Summer time). In Quebec where I grew up, we call it “Heure avancée de l’est” (Eastern Saving Time) and in Britain, it’s “British Summer Time.” Whatever you call it, that’s the time I like. You know, more daylight in the evening. I may be wrong, but I would guess that most people also hate turning back the clock in November to “regular time” or Standard time because it feels like the days are shorter all of a sudden.
We have been doing this back and forth twice a year since 1916 when it was implemented as a measure to conserve coal. Now, the benefits of having it are apparently no greater than the drawback from the twice-a-year disruption that no one hardly questions anymore. What the heck?
Did you know that in 2007, the powers that be decided that we deserved an extra month of Daylight Saving Time changing the date we spring forward from April to March and changing the time we fall back to November instead of October? I didn’t really notice at the time and we now are on Standard time for less than half the year. Why not go all the way?
And did you know that Arizona and Hawaii do not observe Daylight Saving Time. It is a Federal law that states can follow, or not.
As a Realtor, I like the longer daylight in the evening because it means that I can show home after my clients get off work. When it’s dark at 5pm, we lose that opportunity and we sometimes get stuck viewing homes with flashlights when the power is not on. I’m sure I could find plenty of other reasons, too. On the other hand, if we didn’t have Daylight Saving Time, we would all get used to the Standard time year round like the folks in Arizona did as they move from one time zone to the next twice a year.
Can we maybe have a general vote on this, pick one or the other, and just stick with it?
Originally Posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News
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