The curious origin of Daylight Savings Time
Money Saving Tricks and Money Making Tips
—
*Show Transcript Lightly edited for Clarity*
Today is the official start of Daylight Saving time. As we spring forward our clocks today have you ever wondered, what is the origin of daylight saving time
Here at the top speed 160 podcast we aim to keep you entertained engaged and informed about things in our ordinary lives that we may not have noticed or questioned. In our new season, we are all about the transformation of Everyday into Payday, unleashing the power of Ordinary for money making and Saving Success.
A great example of this is the origin of the idea of daylight savings time. According to author David Prerau. The idea was actually conceived by Benjamin franklin. For our listeners who are not aware , Benjamin Franklin is one of the founding fathers of the United States and is only one of 2 non us presidents featured in American currency. He is on the front of the US 100 dollar bill. The other non us president is Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill.
Did you know that 100 dollar bill is the largest denomination as well as the highest number of currency note in circulation, exceeding even the $1 bill About 80% of bills in circulation are $100 dollar bills. These are mostly held overseas as countries use United States dollars for their foreign reserves.
According to the David Prerau in his book “Seize the daylight”, Benjamin Franklin conceived the idea while he was living in Paris while serving as the American minister to France. Apparently while he was still sleeping, an accidental sudden noise woke him up at six in the morning and he was surprised to find that his room was filled with light. He thought there were a number of lamps had been brought to his room but then noticed that the light was actually coming from his windows. It was in 1784 and Benjamin who through his career as a scientist , statesmen and author , had cultivated the mindset of noticing the extraordinary in the ordinary. His assistant had forgotten to close the blinds over the windows the previous evening . Franklin now thought how extra ordinary it was that the sun should rise so early. This was in a time when the was no standard time and it was assumed that the time was the same everywhere. According to the author the discovery by Franklin that the sun rises early in that time of the year and shines while people were still sleeping, led to several serious and important reflections. Because of the assumption that the sun only came out at noon he would have slept through six hours of sunshine and would have been in addition in six hours of candlelight by evening. Since candlelight was much more expensive than sunlight , Franklins did some calculations to estimate how much the city of Paris could save by using sunshine instead of candles.
According to Benjamin Franklins calculation he estimated that for the six month between March 20th and September 20 , the average Parisian could save seven hours of candlelight if they rose with the sun.
In todays dollars, he estimates that the city of Paris with the 100,000 families living there at the time could save approximately $200m if the money was to be calculated in 2005 dollars when the book was published. In todays dollars that amount would translate to even higher amounts.
Benjamin Franklin later published the proverb “early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”, and published a letter in a paris newspaper about his money saving idea.
Although not directly contributing to the idea of DST, Benjamin Franklin through noticing the ordinary and asking thought provoking questions is often credited with proposing a form of the idea of daylight saving time .DST was first implemented by Germany during world war one and to this day has many supporters and critics. In the US all states currently observe daylight saving time except for Arizona, Hawaii.
Supporters of DST argue that it results in energy savings reduced accidents and increased economic activity that can help stimulate economy. It has also been credited with crime reduction. Critics of DST argue that DST causes disruption in sleep, inconvenience and confusion as well as pointing to the technological advances that like energy efficient lighting and smart devices that make the original energy-saving rationale for DST less relevant .
Let me know in the poll if you are for or against DST.
So – how can you make or save money? You can sell DST Themed merchandise ( T-shirt’s, caps , mugs or novelty items), or DST related content relation – like this podcast.
Here are some money saving tips relevant to this episode:
6 Money Saving Tips to implement during Daylight Saving Time
- Use energy efficient lighting to take advantage of extended daylight hours . rely more on natural lighting instead of artificial lighting.
- Adjust your thermostat settings, With longer daylight there is less need for heating and cooling during the evening. This could potential save on energy bills
- Unplug electronics and charges to prevent phantom energy consumption
- Optimize daylight hours – use the extended daylight hours to engage in outdoor activities reducing the need for indoor entertainment that may consume electricity. If your water heater operates on electricity, consider adjusting the timing of hot water usage to align with periods of lower electricity demand. This can contribute to cost savings.
- Utilize Natural Ventilation: Take advantage of natural ventilation during the warmer months. Open windows and doors to allow fresh air into your home, reducing the need for air conditioning and ventilation systems.
- Evaluate your daylight for Tasks: Use natural daylight for tasks that do not require artificial lighting. For example, work or read near windows during daylight hours to minimize the use of electric lights.
Thank you so much and see you on the next episode.