On Sunday, November 1, at 2:00 a.m., daylight saving time ends. We’ll set our clocks back one hour. It marks the end of daylight saving time for most of the country.
The change shifts daylight back into the morning hours. That means sunrise will happen one hour earlier on November 1, sadly, it means sunset will occur one hour earlier as well. On the plus side, it means you get an extra hour of sleep.
Daylight saving time started as an energy conservation move during World War I and became a national standard in the 1960s. The idea was that in the summer months, we shift the number of daylight hours we get into the evening. So if the sun sets at 8 pm instead of 7, we’d spend less time with the lights on in our homes at night, saving electricity.
It also means that you’re less likely to sleep through daylight hours in the morning since those are shifted an hour later too or “saving” daylight hours for the most productive time of the day.
If you are wondering if it actually leads to energy savings, studies that evaluate the energy impact of DST are mixed. It seems to reduce lighting use slightly but may increase heating and AC use.
There has been a lot of discussion for several years in states across the country about doing away with DST but for now, most states, with the exception of Hawaii and Arizona, will be changing their clocks on Sunday along with the rest of us.
