Daylight Savings Time

This year, daylight savings time comes 3 weeks earlier for those of us who live in North America (Arizona and Hawaii don't participate). The time change will be a bit odd for everyone until we are settled back onto the same time difference as the EU countries and Switzerland 3 weeks later.

For 2007, most of the US and Canada will begin the new time change at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday March 7th. For those of you in Vancouver, you might start your time change at 4:00 p.m. Friday afternoon to get ahead of the game**. Standard time will happen on the first Sunday in November this year as well.

For Switzerland and other European Union members, Summer Time ends at 1:00 a.m. Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time), the time change occurs on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday in October. Luckily, all time zones here change at the same time so there isn't any confusion!

Here's a list of the other countries which also participate in daylight savings time.

The confusion might occur with anyone living in North America because many blackberries and computer clocks, which could get confused in the time change. But let's not forget why we do this time change, we do it to save energy.

"Daylight Saving Time saves energy for lighting in all seasons of the year except for the four darkest months of the year (November, December, January and February) when the afternoon advantage is offset by the need for lighting because of late sunrise". Now I wonder if this statement would really hold true to places like Norway or Alaska where there is still little light in January and February.

But for me, I love more light. Our place has a skylight and lets in so much natural light. I already am excited at the noticeable changes and can't wait for spring to really be around!