If you felt like you were constantly running behind schedule this past Sunday, you’re not crazy, and you’re also not alone. This weekend, most of the United States observed Daylight Savings Time, which means setting clocks forward an hour to squeeze as much sunlight out of the waking day as possible. The goal is far more pragmatic than boosting society’s general happiness level with some extra UV exposure; otherwise a national undertaking (international if you count Europe’s analogous summer time change coming up), would not merit the effort involved in coordination and execution. Instead, the goal is, unsurprisingly, efficiency. Energy efficiency, that is. While there is debate about how much energy is actually saved, the general idea is to maximize the amount of time that people are awake and out of the house, so that as little energy is used indoors as is possible.
If you are wondering who came up with the brilliantly simple idea of adjusting human clocks to match that of the cosmos, it was possibly none other than the man who invented just about anything else you can think of- Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was unintentionally prescient in his snide remark that Parisians could reduce their energy expenditures in the evening hours if they were to begin their days before the sun was already at its zenith. Sadly, Americans cannot claim to have recognized or adopted the clever advice hidden in Franklin’s jab, though. It was Germany who first adopted Day Light Savings time in 1916, and a full fifty years passed before the US caught up to their efficient chronological manipulation.
The real question for those of us who might be loath to jump on board the new timetable is whether you prefer to lengthen your snooze or your budget. Rising earlier in the day does mean you are likely to head to bed before having to burn up as much midnight oil as someone who rises at noon, but an early start also means less time to recover from the previous night’s ventures. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, Schaffhouser Electric is there to fuel your home and energy needs at whatever time of day or night you decide to stir. There is no penalty for late-sleepers or night owls, and no change in service accompanying the change in time. In fact, Schaffhouser Electric might be able to give you the best of both worlds by providing you with energy-saving, efficient light fixtures and bulbs that reduce your bill without any change on your part at all.
