Daylight Savings Time has always been touted as a way of saving energy, in fact Congress last year moved up the start date as a method of conserving energy. Well a new study is out contradicting that idea, showing that Daylight Savings Time actually raises utility rates and increases energy consumption.

Study: Daylight Saving Time actually raises utility bills

Fri Feb 29, 2008 2:06PM EST

It's official: Daylight Saving Time is a bust. Designed (and recently extended) as a measure to save energy in a period of inflated electricity prices, an in-depth University of California study has now shown that DST doesn't save anyone any money at all. In fact, it's costing consumers extra, to the tune of $3.19 in extra utility bills per year.

The study was made possible because of the peculiarities of the state of Indiana, which was only partially on DST until 2006. When the whole state finally went DST (to sync with the national business day), some comparisons vs. the prior method were made apparent. The study calculated that the shift costs Indiana residents an extra $8.6 million in electricity bills in total.

Why? Shouldn't they be, well, saving daylight -- and burning fewer light bulbs?

They are, said the study. But while lighting bills were reduced, air-conditioning units had to run more often, because people were home on hot afternoons when they'd otherwise be still at the office. Heaters had to be run on cool mornings, too, when people got up and it was still dark outside.

Professor Matthew Kitchen, who pioneered the study, noted, "I've never had a paper with such a clear and unambiguous finding as this."

It just goes to show how so many things in life are counter intuitive and conventional wisdom is often wrong. People who want to make laws and spend billions to fight other mis-guided ideas like global warming should keep this study in mind, and what is touted as a benefit will almost always follow the law of unintended consequences.

Last year I wrote a funny satire on Daylight Saving Time and global warming. I have reprinted it here:

Scientists claim that the Earth is warming, and human activities such as driving SUVs, and even cow flatulence are to blame. I believe I have finally discovered the real cause of global warming. The culprit is none other than Daylight Savings Time.

Changing from standard to Daylight Time creates an additional hour of daylight while at the same time gives us one hour less of night. This gives the sun an extra hour to heat the Earth and reduces the amount of night time for the Earth to cool itself down. The result is a heating of the Earths surface. This year we may see an increase in global warming do to the fact that the evil Republican Congress moved Daylight Savings time ahead three weeks. This may prove to be even more catastrophic since there will now be even more global warming causing daylight.

The new enlightened Democrat Congress must act now and eliminate Daylight Savings Time to curb the threat of global warming. It may even be necessary to enact Night Time Savings Time to offset decades of the destructive effects of Daylight Savings Time. Call Algore! Call Nancy Pelosi! Demand that they immediately enact Night Time Savings Time. Our very existence may depend on it. Do it for the children!

Read More......

Scientists claim that the Earth is warming, and human activities such as driving SUVs, and even cow flatulence are to blame. I believe I have finally discovered the real cause of global warming. The culprit is none other than Daylight Savings Time.

Changing from standard to Daylight Time creates an additional hour of daylight while at the same time gives us one hour less of night. This gives the sun an extra hour to heat the Earth and reduces the amount of night time for the Earth to cool itself down. The result is a heating of the Earths surface. This year we may see an increase in global warming do to the fact that the evil Republican Congress moved Daylight Savings time ahead three weeks. This may prove to be even more catastrophic since there will now be even more global warming causing daylight.

The new enlightened Democrat Congress must act now and eliminate Daylight Savings Time to curb the threat of global warming. It may even be necessary to enact Night Time Savings Time to offset decades of the destructive effects of Daylight Savings Time. Call Algore! Call Nancy Pelosi! Demand that they immediately enact Night Time Savings Time. Our very existence may depend on it. Do it for the children!

Read More......