Daylight Saving Time and why it doesn’t affect us in Arizona

Most of the country fell back an hour on Nov. 4 for Daylight Saving Time. Keyword being “most.”

That’s because Arizona and Hawaii don’t take part in falling back.

This means Arizona will now be an hour ahead of California and two hours behind New York.

Where did it all begin?

HISTORY:

Daylight Saving Time (DST) started when ” wartime ” was established in the U.S. in 1918 to save fuel during World War I.

In Arizona, Phoenix and the rest of the state observed different time zones in 1919.

Wartime, or daylight saving time, was reinstated in World War II. It was brought back permanently in the Uniform Time Act of 1966.

Arizona participated for one summer before it was met with backlash. Participating in DST meant more time in the heat.

In 1967, in a nearly unanimous vote, Arizona legislators agreed to opt out of daylight saving time.

NAVAJO NATION:

There are a few parts of Arizona that observe DST. The Navajo Nation in the northeast part of the state observes DST. The Hopi Nation does not.

REASON WHY ARIZONA DOESN’T OBSERVE DST:

Calvin Schermerhorn, a history professor in the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies at Arizona State University said Arizona doesn’t observe DST because when the state did, energy consumption soared.

“An extra hour of daylight supposedly saved fuel used to heat and light buildings. But in most of the state, the scheme worked in reverse: air conditioners had to run longer. Businesses and schools paid more, farmers did not benefit, and parents also resented an extra hour of scorching sunlight for kids since the saving lengthened the hot afternoon,” Schermerhorn said.