RICHMOND, Va. -- This is the weekend we switch the clocks. We "spring forward" at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 10, to Eastern Daylight Time.
The purpose is to save daylight for the end of the day and evening activities. (This is why it is daylight saving, and not daylight savings.)
Here's how it affects the sunrise and sunset times:
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed when we switch the clocks. Since 2007, we spring forward the clocks one hour on the second Sunday in March to Daylight Saving Time, and we fall back one hour on the first Sunday in November to Eastern Standard Time. This extended the amount of time during the year that we observe Daylight Saving Time. Prior to 2007, we used to change the clocks the first Sunday in April and the last Sunday in October.
This is also a great time to replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Some people would like to not switch the clocks twice a year, and stay on either Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time for the entire year.
In central Virginia, if we stayed on Daylight Saving Time all year, our latest winter sunrise would be close to 8:30 a.m.
Across the country, locations in the western edges of the time zones would have a sunrise closer to 9 a.m.
If we stayed on Standard Time all year, we'd have some summer sunrises before 5 a.m., and it would be dark by around 8 p.m. all summer.
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