Daylight Saving Time to End on November 3, 2024: Implications and Historical Context

As the end of October approaches, many Americans are preparing for the biannual ritual of changing their clocks. Daylight Saving Time (DST) is set to conclude on Sunday, November 3, 2024, as clocks “fall back” an hour at 2 a.m., granting most people an extra hour of sleep.

This practice affects the majority of U.S. states, with Hawaii and parts of Arizona, among a few U.S. territories, exempting themselves. The Navajo Nation, however, observes DST even within Arizona. This longstanding tradition will usher in earlier sunrises and sunsets before 7 p.m., persisting until March 2025, when clocks “spring forward” once more.

Daylight Saving Time has a storied history in the United States, initially introduced during World War I as part of the Standard Time Act of 1918. This legislation aimed to reduce energy consumption during the war by extending evening daylight hours. Though initially abandoned post-war, DST saw a resurgence during World War II for fuel conservation and experienced periods of year-round implementation for energy crisis management in 1974.

Despite the national embrace of DST, individual states hold the power to opt out under federal law, provided they adhere to standard time and do not extend daylight time permanently. Recent efforts in Congress to eliminate the biannual clock changes have routinely stalled, including the Sunshine Protection Act, which passed the Senate in 2022 but failed to advance in the House of Representatives.

The current structure of DST was set by legislation in 2005 under President George W. Bush, extending the practice to begin on the second Sunday of March and conclude on the first Sunday of November. A Department of Energy study suggested the extra four weeks of DST helped save approximately 0.5% of total daily electricity consumption in the U.S., equating to significant energy savings.

Daylight Saving Time continues to be a topic of debate with proponents arguing its benefits for energy conservation, public safety, and health, while others advocate for its discontinuation due to inefficiencies and disruption of circadian rhythms.