Fall Back 2018. If the shift to Daylight Saving Time left you groggy, grumpy or confused, take heart: 2018 could be the last time Coloradans change their clocks. Lakewood couple Sean and Teri Johnson are gathering signatures for a ballot initiative that, if passed in 2018, would put the state on Mountain Daylight Time year round. It’s far from unprecedented.
After summertime daylight saving failed to stick nationally after implementation in World War I, the entire country went on DST for more than three straight years during World War II. An energy crisis in 1970s resulted in 10 months of federally mandated daylight saving and led to the modern approach to time change.
Not everyone is sold on the twice-a-year time shift. In addition to a host of countries that never adopted the system, quite a few have since ended the practice, and some states don’t play.
U.S. Department of Energy report supports the idea that Daylight Saving Time reduces energy consumption, but a study conducted in California around the same time found negligible benefits. One in Indiana actually indicated increased consumption.
Steve Casey, manager of member services at Holy Cross Energy, said any local effects of time change on the electrical grid are drowned out by seasonal cycles of heating and lighting. He sees better ways to reduce energy usage than fooling with the clock.
“If you could change out all our incandescent bulbs for energy-efficient ones, I think you’d see a big difference,” he said.
When it comes to health, Johnson said, the issues are with actual changeover, not DST itself.
The adjustment undermines circadian rhythms which govern sleep cycles, and several studies have recorded higher rates of heart attack and suicide after the spring time change. The trend is generally short-lived and is less pronounced in the fall.
Claims about traffic accidents follow a similar pattern, with studies showing an increase in incidents right around the time change and a reduction in fatalities once people adjust.
Perhaps the most debated element in a state that relies heavily on tourism are the potential economic impacts.