Time change begins Sunday

It’s the time of the year when Americans gain an hour to extend afternoon daylight as clocks are moved forward one hour.

The practice of moving the clocks forward started in 1918when Congress enacted a provision meant to follow the European model designed to save energy during World War I.

However at that time, the act of following Daylight Saving Time (DST) only lasted one year and was appealed due to many farmers protesting against it.

The country continued to stay on regular time until 1966 when the Uniform Time Act was introduced to set standardized dates of when DST would begin and end each year.

In 1974, the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act was passed that allowed states to follow year-round DST for a two-year experimental period.

However, the experiment only lasted about 10 months because it was not favored by the public primarily due to concerns of dark winter mornings.

Over the past few years Congress has tossed around the idea of keeping year-round standard time or remain at DST throughout the year.

However, whether or not you like the practice, Congress has not moved forward on it and we continue to adjust our clocks back and forth each year.

As a result of the Energy Policy Act approved in 2005, the practice of gaining an additional hour of daylight starts on the second Sunday in March and we return to standard time on the first Sunday in November.

The official time for daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday and you are reminded to move your clocks one hour forward before retiring for the night on Saturday evening.

An easy adage to remember what you need to do with your clocks is “Spring Forward, Fall Back”.

Also, while changing the clocks to daylight saving time, it is also a good practice to check the batteries in your smoke alarms.