As if weeks of prelims and papers are not bad enough, Cornell students can anticipate losing an extra hour of sleep this weekend as a result of Daylight Savings Time. At 2 a.m. this Sunday morning, time will move forward one hour.
In 2005, Congress passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which extended Daylight Savings Time by four weeks. The purpose of the bill was to extend the amount of daylight and decrease energy consumption. By forwarding clocks one hour, the amount of time between sunset and when Americans typically go to bed — the peak time of energy use in American homes — is reduced.
Beginning this year, Daylight Savings Time begins the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. The moves from the first Sunday in April to the second Sunday in March and from the last Sunday in October to the first Sunday in November may cause some technological problems. Several software programs designed before 2005 may not automatically update the time — making timestamps on e-mails and other such programs incorrect. Programs developed after Congress announced the changes in 2005 such as Microsoft Vista will not be affected by the changes.
Congress last changed Daylight Savings Time in 1986 from the last Sunday in April to the first Sunday in April. Daylight Saving Time varies throughout the world, and some countries will not be affected by the changes.