Make the Most of Daylight Saving
While the United States has spent more years without Daylight Saving Time (often mistakenly called Daylight Savings Time), it doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon. That means this year, on March 13 at 2:00 a.m., we’ll all be setting our clocks one hour forward and living in the CDT (Central Daylight Time) zone for the next eight months. You’ll probably be a little tired for a few days, but as you adjust and the weather warms up, there are advantages - and energy savings - to be enjoyed.
SHINE A LITTLE (MORE) LIGHT
One of the best things about daylight saving time is waking up to the sun. After months of starting and ending every day in darkness, we get to open our eyes to full daylight that much sooner. Depending on what time your alarm goes off, of course. And for those with a daily commute, driving to work in daylight just feels better than doing it in the dark. It’s safer, too.
WORK WITH THE WEATHER TO SAVE ENERGY
It’s common these days to have a programmable thermostat or other time-based items like outdoor lights. Adjust your timer schedules to reflect the extra daylight. Even saving an hour a day can really add up. Keep track, and when the furnace goes off, change the direction of your ceiling fans. Some people use Daylight Saving to remind them of maintenance things like changing smoke alarm batteries or cleaning fridge coils.
GO PLAY OUTSIDE
It’s something we heard as kids every day - now it’s just great advice. Make the most of the extra daylight by spending some time outdoors after the long winter. Even on cool evenings in March, bundle up and stay warm while you enjoy extra daylight outdoor time after work and school. In fact, on March 13 sunset isn’t until 7:19! By then, day and night are almost evenly divided, with the Spring Equinox happening March 20.
