When Does the Time Change

When does the time change? The answer to this question depends upon where you live. In fact, some places do not observe daylight saving time and therefore do not change the time. If you live in the U.S. or in parts of Canada, your area probably observes daylight saving time and changes the time twice a year. Learning about daylight saving time can help you understand when the time changes.

The practice of setting clocks forward one hour in the spring and backward one hour in the fall, is a part of a program known in the U.S. as daylight time or daylight saving time (DST). A number of countries around the world such as the U.S., Canada, U.K., Chile and Russia observe some form of DST.

Benjamin Franklin originally suggested the concept of conserving daylight hours in his essay, "An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light," which was published in the Journal de Paris in April 1784. However, the idea was never adopted or brought up again until 1895. In 1895, a New Zealand entomologist, George Vernon Hudson, presented a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society that proposed a daylight-saving shift of two hours to the established time.

In 1907, British builder William Willett began a crusade to adopt a DST schedule. Despite the lack of enthusiasm, Willet lobbied for time change until his death in 1915. By the end of 1916, the U.K. and a number of other European nations also adopted a DST schedule. Over the years, many parts of the world have adopted some form of time change adjustment to conserve energy and maximize daylight hours.

The worldwide time zones trace their origins to the late 1800's. In 1883, railroads used time zones to organize their schedules. The 1884 International Prime Meridian Conference established an international standard time system. By 1918, the U.S. Congress made the U.S. railroad zones into the official standard time zones and placed it in the jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce Commission, an early form of the Department of Transportation. Yet, the modern concept of time changes did not begin until after the Uniform Time Act of 1966. The Uniform Time Act required a uniform method of observing DST in the U.S. While time change was not mandatory, any state that chose to participate in DST had to change the time during designated periods in the spring and fall. The act mandated that DST begin on the last Sunday in April and end on the last Sunday of October.

The Department of Transportation, which regulates time change, conducted a 1974 study of the benefits of DST. The results concluded that DST saves energy, helps prevent crime and cuts down on the number of traffic accidents.

American time change laws changed a number of times. During the energy crisis of the 1970's, DST periods were temporarily extended several different times to save energy. In 1986, the Public Law 99-359 required daylight saving time to spring forward on the first Sunday in April. The current time change schedule follows the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which extended DST to begin in March and end in November. The new DST schedule was implemented in March 2007.

Many countries observe some form of DST but time change schedules vary by country.

Since 2007, the American DST begins on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November. In recent years the time change followed the following schedule:

• 2007: Clocks spring forward by one hour on March 11 and fall backward one hour on November 4
• 2008: Time change starts on March 9 and ends on November 2.
• 2009: Daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 8 and ends on Sunday, November 1.
• 2010: Time change occurs on March 14 and will end on November 7

Many countries that observe a form of DST only change the time in the summer. Some of these countries, such as the U.K., call the time change practice summer time.

If you would like to know more about time changes, there are a number of helpful online resources. The following websites have information on DST:

• The U.S. Naval Observatory's Astronomical Applications Department: The USNO government site has an article with current DST information and the history of daylight time.
• The California Energy Commission: The California Energy Commission provides information on the history of time change and the current DST schedule.
• Web Exhibits: The online museum has an interactive description and history of time change.
• Time and Date: The Time and Date site provides detailed information on DST. The site also includes a time change schedule.
• Time Zone: The site has an article about multiple time zone watches with DST features.

A number of modern watches will automatically change time according to the DST schedule. These types of watches are available in all different price ranges to fit any budget. These watches come in digital and linear formats and often offer other features such as multiple time zone or city scales. The watches usually operate with a main dial and at least one sub dial to access different time zones.

Watch brands with automatic time change features include:

• YES
• Casio
• Timex
• Bulova
• Omega
• Rolex

The automatic DST feature on these types of watches is convenient because you can avoid the hassle of manually changing the time.

Learning about time change helps you understand the importance of conserving daylight for the planet and society. Each time you change the time on your watch or clock, you are helping save energy.

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