Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time begins on the first Sunday of March at 2:00 a.m. through most of the United States.  The first Sunday in November reverts back to standard time.  Each time zone switches at a different time in the U.S.

During DST (Daylight Saving Time), all clocks move forward by one hour, taking an hour of daylight from the morning and moving it to the evening.  The first Sunday in November, all clocks are set back one hour.  For example, on Saturday one may go to bed at 11:59 p.m.  They would then have had to reset their clock to 11:00 p.m.

In 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005.  This Act changed the time change dates for DST.  Beginning in 2007, DST will start on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November.  Results will be reported by the Secretary of Energy to Congress.  Congress has the right to resume the 2005 DST schedule when the Department of Energy study is complete. 

On November 4th, at 2:00 a.m. everyone should have set their clocks back, thus providing them with an extra hour of sleep, and bringing daylight one hour earlier in the morning!

Fast facts about Daylight Saving Time...

The official spelling of DST is Daylight Saving Time and not Daylight SavingS time.

2:00 a.m. was originally chosen in the U.S. for the time changeover because it was practical and minimized disruption.

Fire departments encourage people to change batteries in their smoke detectors when changing their clocks; it provides a good reminder.

The main purpose of DST is to make better use of daylight.

Today, at least 70 countries use DST.  Japan, China, and India are the few main industrialized countries that do not use a form of DST.

Last Updated: April 07, 2008
By: Adrienne Moser and Toni Zappa