[78-L] Does anybody really know what time it is? ^

[Chris Zwarg]

>Studies done in the 1970s by the U.S. Department of Transportation 
>show that we trim the entire country's electricity usage by about one 
>percent EACH DAY with Daylight Saving Time.

Beg pardon? Currently we have over 100 days of DST, but I still have to pay a pretty stiff electricity bill - by your reckoning (saving 1% per DST day) I should get money back from the electricity company...!

But seriously, I have never heard of a study that comprehensively accounts for all costs (including the reduced productivity for a few days following each change due to the "jetlag", not to mention adjustment of timetables etc.) and still found savings worth speaking of. With the average person's day not really centered around noon but rather around 2 p.m., the optimum might be found in running the clock 2 hours fast compared to astronomically correct time *at all seasons* without the constant switching back-and-forth. After all, during the short winter days it doesn't matter whether we use more electring light in the morning or in the evening, while summer days might be used most effectively if e.g. 14 daylight hours would be counted as 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. rather than as 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. as under the present system, or even 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. without DST - at least I find that there are comparatively few people in the streets before 7 a.m., but certainly still MANY of them after 7 p.m., irrespective of season. This would also put the hottest (afternoon) time of the day outside the average "9 to 5" work or school hours.

Chris Zwarg