University of California Study on Daylight Saving: Higher AC Cost in Afternoons

[Nelson Muntz]

Springing forward may be costing Hoosiers


The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana residents spring forward Sunday with most of the rest of the nation — and some researchers say those longer days come with a hidden price tag.

State residents will move their clocks forward one hour before they hit the sack Saturday night so that they'll be in sync when the annual time shift takes effect early Sunday.

The time change is welcomed by businesses that hope to lure in customers as the sun stays out longer, but research suggests daylight saving time may also have a downside.

A University of California Santa Barbara study found that Hoosier households could pay $8.6 million more annually in electricity bills, in part due to higher air conditioning costs on hot afternoons.

But state economic leaders say daylight saving has safeguarded thousands of Indiana jobs.