Time will “fall back” on Nov. 4

By Karyn Chenoweth Oct 27, 2007, 15:29 GMT

The end of Daylight Saving Time is November 4.

Time change is coming a week later than usual this year. On Sunday, Nov. 4, don’t forget to change your clock at 2 a.m. when time “falls back” once again. So, everyone will have an extra hour of sleep.

Clocks “fall back” from 1:59 a.m. to 1 a.m. each fall, effectively moving an hour of daylight from the evening to the morning.

On Aug. 8, 2005, President George W. Bush signed the “Energy Policy Act of 2005.” This act changed the dates for daylight-saving time in the United States beginning in 2007. Daylight-saving time will now begin on the second Sunday of March and end on the first Sunday in November.

Studies performed by the U.S. Department of Transportation show that Daylight Saving Time (DST) saves energy because less electricity is used for operating lights and appliances.

Standard time in time zones was instituted in the U.S. and Canada by the railroads in 1883, but daylight saving time was not established in U.S. law until the Standard Time Act in March, 19, 1918. DST was repealed in 1919, but standard time in time zones remained in law.

DST became a local issue until it was re-established early during World War II, and was continuously observed until after the war.

The Uniform Time Act in 1966 provided standardization in the dates of beginning and end of daylight time in the U.S., but allowed for local exemptions from its observance.

The Secretary of Energy will report the impact of the DST change to Congress, which retains the right to resume the 2005 Daylight Saving Time schedule once the Department of Energy’s study is complete.

In the U.S., 2 a.m. was originally chosen as the changeover time because it was practical and minimized disruptions. Most people were at home and this was the latest time when the fewest trains were running.

Unless Congress makes any decisions to once again amend the daylight-saving time law, it will occur on the following dates: 2007-clocks go back on Nov. 4; 2008-clocks go ahead on March 9 and back on Nov. 2; in 2009-clocks go ahead on March 8 and back on Nov. 1, and in 2010, clocks will go ahead on March 14 and back on Nov. 7.