A waste of time

By now Nevadans have turned all their clocks and watches forward an hour. How ironic that daylight saving, observed to conserve energy, wastes so much of our time and energy.

Most of the rest of the world has stopped observing daylight saving. Arizona and Hawaii quit the clock-shifting racket decades ago. Nevada and the rest of the country should follow suit.

The arguments in favor of daylight saving — turning clocks back an hour in the fall, then forward an hour in late winter or spring — have always been based on the hypothetical benefits of having more daylight in spring, summer and early fall evenings, including reduced energy consumption. But many studies have shown that daylight saving either makes no difference in energy consumption or actually increases it. After Indiana resumed observing daylight saving in 2006, average residential utility bills went up. A 2007 California study found daylight saving had almost no effect in that state’s energy consumption.

Arizona remains off daylight saving for the same reason Nevada should stop: Summers are so hot, residents would rather have darkness — and the cooler temperatures it brings — arrive sooner than later. Long ago, lighting homes and businesses at night was expensive. Today, lighting is far more efficient. Air conditioning now drives peak demand for summer power.

Of course, because Nevada has a tourist economy, the state has an interest in keeping things as simple as possible for its visitors — especially the millions of Californians who visit each year.

But when you factor the inconvenience, confusion, disruption and costly loss of productivity to shifting clocks, it’s not worth it. The Legislature should save all Nevadans some time by opting out of daylight saving.