Daylight-saving time was enacted as an energy-saving measure, but when time springs forward on March 9, people may actually use more energy, says a new study. When all of Indiana began to participate in daylight-saving time — before 2006, only 15 of the state’s 92 counties would spring forward and fall back — researchers at the University of California-Santa Barbara started tracking Hoosiers’ energy bills. The result: Indiana households paid an extra $8.6 million annually for electricity after the switch, likely due to increased air-conditioner use. Critics say that Indiana’s situation might not apply nationwide. Besides, says Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who drafted a daylight-saving-time extension that went into effect last year, other studies have concluded that extra evening light means “less crime, fewer traffic fatalities, more recreation time, and increased economic activity.”
