Thousands of Farmers’ Almanac readers vote on extended DST in an online poll.

Contact: Peter Geiger, Philom., Editor 207-755-2246 – pgeiger@farmersalmanac.com

Sandi Duncan, Philom., Managing Editor, 908-689-0960 – sduncan@farmersalmanac.com

LEWISTON, ME – Beginning this year, Daylight Saving Time (DST) will be longer thanks to the Energy Policy Act, signed by President Bush in 2005. In anticipation of this coming weekend, when we’ll all “spring ahead” a little earlier than usual, the Farmers’ Almanac asked readers, “How much daylight are we really saving?” So far, nearly 10,000 readers have logged onto www.FarmersAlmanac.com to sound off in our online forum and vote for their favorite DST schedule.

With DST beginning this Sunday, March 11, and ending on Sunday, Nov. 4, more than two thirds of the year (245 days) will now be in DST. Supporters of the change claim it will save the equivalent of 10,000 barrels of oil per day. But others question the accuracy of the energy-savings claim (based on US Department of Energy statistics from the early ‘70s).

But will changing DST really save energy and daylight, or will it cause a lot of headaches? The technologically savvy among us already know the change will require a reconfiguration of virtually every computer in the country. Computers are automatically programmed adjust for DST, based on static tables stored directly on them, and a change to DST means a requisite modification to all of those tables.

While many people enjoy extended evening daylight thanks to DST, our mornings may be less safe – especially for school children and drivers – due to the later sunrise. DST has always been particularly unpopular among farmers and others whose working hours are dependent on the sun. The Farmers’ Almanac, which is dedicated to advancing a lifestyle more in tune with nature, proposed a better schedule for DST in our 2007 edition.

The Farmers’ Almanac believes the primary aim of DST should be to capture the maximum amount of daylight, without causing more morning darkness. Civil twilight – the period before sunrise and after sunset when enough illumination exists to be able to work outside – is an important factor in determining the best DST schedule. At the median latitude for the US (40º North) – civil twilight generally starts about a half an hour before sunrise and ends about a half an hour after sunset. If we assume that most people rise at 6 a.m., DST should be implemented in the first week of April, when the start of civil twilight would coincide with that rising time.

The corresponding astronomical conditions for autumn occur during the first week of September. Logically, that is when clocks should be set back to standard time. However, the Farmers’ Almanac recommends the change occur on the second Sunday in September, in order to avoid conflict with the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The results of Farmers’ Almanac’s online poll indicate that readers feel somewhat differently about the issue. Of the nearly 10,000 respondents, 51 percent favor the idea of keeping DST year-round. Another 25 percent agree with the schedule proposed by the Farmers’ Almanac, while 18 percent like the new plan, and only 6 percent prefer the old DST schedule.

For more in-depth information about DST and the Farmers’ Almanac proposal to utilize civil twilight, read the 2007 edition – available at http://store.farmersalmanac.com/. Visit www.FarmersAlmanac.com to see reader comments on DST, share your opinion, or cast a vote for your favorite plan.