The meaning of DST is energy savings?

Daylight Saving Time is upon us again, and once more the question of its usefulness arises. Most of us have a general understanding that it was invented by Benjamin Franklin, but why?

Because the sun rises earlier during the summer (the farther you get from the equator), we get up an hour earlier to take advantage of the extra energy - or so goes the theory. The truth is, studies have shown little to no energy savings, with some studies even showing an energy loss (via WebExhibits):

The argument in favor of saving energy swayed Indiana, where until 2005, only about 16 percent of counties observed Daylight Saving Time. Based on the DOT study, advocates of Indiana DST estimated that the state’s residents would save over $7 million in electricity costs each year. Now that Indiana has made the switch, however, researchers have found the opposite to be the case. Scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara, compared energy usage over the course of three years in Indiana counties that switched from year-round Standard Time to DST. They found that Indianans actually spent $8.6 million more each year because of Daylight Saving Time, and increased emissions came with a social cost of between $1.6 million and $5.3 million per year.

Read more about the history of Daylight Saving Time at WebExhibits' site. Be sure to check out the interactive DST graphic that shows the length of day throughout the year depending on your latitude - very cool.