Saturday, March 07, 2009

Time to Save on Texas Electricity


Daylight savings time (DST) starts tonight. Ben Franklin suggested daylight savings time in 1784 but it wasn’t until 1918 that Congress established it into law. Previously, DST began on the first Sunday in April and lasted until the last Sunday in October. The U.S. extended DST in 2007 to begin on the second Sunday of March through the first Sunday in November. This give us an additional 5 weeks of natural light – thus additional savings on our Texas electric bills. To help lower energy usage, during DST, the sun rises one hour later in the morning and sets one hour later in the evening - essentially stretching the day. This works because it saves energy due to less artificial light needed during the daylight hours. In the United States, residential lighting accounts for three point five percent (3.5%) of all energy use, thus daylight savings time helps the U.S. to utilize less energy. In Texas – nearly 10 percent of energy costs come from lighting. Texas electricity meters move fast enough during the spring and summer months, but every little bit helps. So tonight – don’t forget to move your clock ahead one hour thus we lose an hour when DST starts. To lower your electric bills even furthur - don't forget to sign up for a lower rate at www.ChooseEnergy.com.

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