Advertisement

Daylight Savings Time will go into effect at 2 a.m. this Sunday — three weeks earlier than usual thanks to The Energy Policy Act of 2005. The time will fall back one hour on Nov. 4.

The change could affect the date and time clocks on some computers, notably those that use Microsoft Outlook. Tina Lindsey, co-owner of PC Lapeer Computer Solutions, noted computer users will be able to manually change their date and time.

"There are no updates for ME, 98, or 95," she said. "The clock could be off for four weeks. Microsoft recommends an Office update."

Computer users can also visit the respective Web sites: Microsoft, www.microsoft.com and look for "Daylight Saving Time starts March 11;" Apple: www.apple.com and type in Daylight Saving Time;" and Blackberry: www.blackberry.com.

Cell phones, PDAs, TiVo and other electronics affected by time could also hiccup with the change. Most cell phones are sent time signals from carriers and the major service providers have updated their systems to prevent trouble.

In some cases, it might be better to use the old-fashioned way and manually change electronics.

Other problems could stretch across the world. While the U.S. and Canada are springing ahead early, more than 180 other countries aren't. The United Kingdom, which is usually five hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, will be only four hours ahead until March 25 when England begins "summer time."

The time change will allow for one added hour of evening daylight for spring school athletes. Officials in the Lapeer Community Schools — the largest school district in the county — expect operations to run normally come Monday.

"Everything is scheduled as usual," said Lauren Murphy, LCS director of communications. "Nick Ward, our IT guy, has been working on our computers and doesn't expect any glitches."

The county's largest employer — Lapeer Regional Medical Center — doesn't anticipate any technology glitches.

"We don't anticipate any problems," said Katrina Back, LRMC spokesperson. "We've taken precautions with our computers."

Lapeer County Sheriff Department secretary, Dorothy Kalor, said DST shouldn't affect the department's computers.

"It will affect the midnight shift and they'll work one hour more, but make up for it in the fall," she said.

The added hour of evening sunlight will be beneficial to those who partake in recreation. Ken Elwert, director of Lapeer Parks and Recreation, also didn't expect any disruptions in operations.

"Torczweski is typically closed. Obviously, we can't open the water park, but we're getting ready to open the park," Elwert said.

The turning of the clock hands back also lends a reminder by fire officials to change your smoke detector batteries. While more than 90% of homes in the United States have smoke detectors, one-third are estimated to have dead or missing batteries.

Jim Petersen, fire safety education coordinator for Lapeer Fire and Rescue, said it's an excellent idea to change smoke alarm batteries everytime the time changes. Smoke alarms should be checked monthly to ensure proper working order, Petersen said.

DST is practiced in order to gain an extra hour of daylight during the early evening, resulting in the conservation of energy by substituting natural sunlight for electrical lighting.

While DST is making its first significant change in 20 years, the practice has a storied past.

DST first started in 1918 during World War I to allow for more evening light and to save fuel for the war effort, according to "The Old Farmer's Almanac."

Benjamin Franklin first suggested the idea in 1784. It was later revived in 1907 when William Willett proposed a similar system. The Germans were the first to officially adopt the light-extending system in 1915, followed by the British and in 1918 the United States. That was when Congress passed the Standard Time Act that established the existing time zones.

DST was repealed in 1919, with standard time in time zones remaining law. Daylight time became a local matter. In World War II, it was re-established nationally and was continuously observed Feb. 9, 1942 until Sept. 20, 1945. After the war, its use varied among states and localities.

According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, the Uniform Time Act of 1966 provided standardization in the dates ending and beginning DST in the U.S., but allowed for local exemptions from its observance.

During the energy crisis years of the 1970s, Congress enacted earlier starting dates for daylight time. In 1974, daylight savings time began on Jan. 6 and in 1975 it began on Feb. 23. After those two years, the starting date reverted back to the last Sunday in April.

In 1986, a law was passed which set DST to the first Sunday in April, beginning in 1987. The ending date of daylight time was not subject to such changes, and remained the last Sunday in October.

Jennifer J. Decker can be reached at (810) 664-0811, Ext. 8125 or jennifer.decker@lapeergroup.com.