Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday

Don’t forget, Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, March 10, and will continue through the first Sunday in November. To be precise, it begins at 2 a.m. Sunday morning, when clocks in most of the United States are slated to roll forward one hour, to 3 a.m. Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour later on Sunday than on Saturday, and there will be more light in the evening.

Of note, The correct term is “Daylight Saving Time“ and not “Daylight Savings Time”: the word “saving” is singular because it acts as part of an adjective rather than a verb.

In March 2022, the United States Senate unanimously passed U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s proposed Sunshine Protection Act, or Senate Bill 623, which would have made daylight saving time permanent. The bill was then sent to the House for action, but the legislation was never brought up for a vote in the House. 

In March of 2023, Rubio reintroduced the legislation as Senate Bill S.582, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023 to the 118th Congress, and it was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, but never was acted on in committee.  The 118th Congress began on January 3, 2023, and will end on January 3, 2025.

Safety experts recommend changing the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors twice a year, at the beginning and end of Daylight Savings Time.  

Springing ahead is also a good reminder to reverse ceiling fans to spin counter-clockwise. In summer and hotter months, ceiling fan blades should rotate counterclockwise to push cooler air down in a column. According to Home Depot, a high-speed, counterclockwise ceiling fan direction can let you increase your thermostat 4 degrees and still be comfortable. Using a counterclockwise ceiling fan direction can reduce your energy costs up to 30 percent.  

The start of Daylight Savings Time is also a good time to clean out dryer filter and vent ducts. Lint buildup is a major cause of household fires, so be sure to clean the vent duct thoroughly.