TURN CLOCKS BACK THIS WEEKEND
Daylight Savings four weeks longer this year

Daylight Saving Time ends early Sunday, when we gain an hour by turning back our clocks at 2 a.m.

DST is four weeks longer this year than last due to the Energy Policy Act in 2005. It extends DST from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.

Federal officials forecast that the change saves 10,000 barrels of oil each day through reduced use of power by businesses during daylight hours.

Daylight Saving Time started in 1916 as a wartime measure aimed at conserving coal. Adding daylight to afternoons benefits activities that require sunlight after working hours, such as sports and retail business. DST can also cause problems for agriculture businesses and other occupations where hours depend on the sun.

Many computers adjust their clocks automatically. If people are current on home computer updates, they should have no problems with DST.

DST is not observed in Hawaii or most of Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Indian Reservation).

The twice-yearly changing of clocks can also remind people to change the batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.