When Do We Put The Clocks Back?

Changing the clocks saves energy

Despite the fact that you do it every year, "when do we put the clocks back?" is just one of those questions that you can never seem to recall the answer. Spring forward, fall back is a catchy phrase that helps many remember when we put the clocks back, but, unfortunately, it doesn't provide the exact date and time that the clocks should be adjusted.

So when do we put the clocks back?

For most states the first Sunday of April at 2 am the clocks should be adjusted forward, which means an hour is lost, and the last Sunday of October at 2 am the clocks should be set back to provide an extra hour.

However, as of 2007 Daylight Savings Time will be extended one month, which means that clocks should be adjusted forward one hour on the second Sunday in March and pushed back one hour on the first Sunday in November.

Why do we adjust the clocks?

Adjusting the clocks is a fairly simple way to save energy. Considering that 25 percent of electricity used in homes is for lighting and small appliances it's no wonder we can cut the amount of electricity used by adjusting the clocks.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Transportation has studied how adjusting the clocks for Daylight Savings Time affected energy consumption. They found that the simple act of adjusting clocks by an hour reduced the country's energy use by one percent each day.

How does adjusting the clocks work?

Understanding how setting the clocks one-hour ahead or back can conserve energy is a hard concept for many people to grasp. Essentially by adjusting the clocks by an hour we are reducing the time between sunset and bed, which ultimately reduces the amount of electricity used.

When did we start adjusting the clocks?

It is believed that the idea of adjusting the clocks to take advantage of natural light was first suggested by Ben Franklin in 1784. However, it wasn't until 1907 when William Willet, an Englishmen, reintroduced the idea of adjusting clocks that people began to take notice.

The United Stated didn't begin to adjust clocks until 1918 when the Congress decided to put Daylight Savings Time into effect for the remainder of WWI. Repealed shortly after the war, Congress decided to make adjusting the clocks mandatory again during WWII until 1945.

After this it was up to the individual states to decide whether or not to adjust their clocks in order to observe Daylight Saving Time. This inconsistency in adjusting clocks led to mass confusion. Finally, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which basically requires all states observing Daylight Savings Time to do adjust clocks uniformly.

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