LAKE COUNTY – It's the only weekend of the year where you gain an hour, but you have to remember to turn your clocks back.

Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday morning at 2 a.m. At that time – or before going to bed Saturday night – turn back the clock one hour.

Fire officials remind people that when you go to turn your clock back this weekend it's also a good time to remember to check batteries in smoke alarms.

Beginning this year, the dates for the beginning and end of Daylight Savings Time changed thanks to the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005, according to a report from the California Energy Commission.

The new energy act caused Daylight Savings Time to start on the second Sunday in March, three weeks earlier than it did previously, the California Energy Commission reported. It also extended Daylight Savings Time by one week, to the first Sunday in November.

Originally, the act suggested adding two full months to Daylight Savings Time, one in spring and one in fall, according to the California Energy Commission. However, that proposal raised concerns for farmers who were concerned about the impact on livestock, and airline officials who argued that the extension could cause problems with international flight scheduling.

Part of the reason given for the time change was energy savings. However, the California Energy Commission's Demand Analysis Office published a report in May titled “The Effect of Early Daylight Saving Time on California Electricity Consumption: A Statistical Analysis.”

The report stated: "The extension of Daylight Saving Time (DST) to March 2007 had little or no effect on energy consumption in California, according to a statistical analysis. The most likely approximation is a 0.2 percent decrease during these three weeks. Given the natural variation in consumption, however, the margin of electricity use change associated with early DST could have been one and a half percent of increase or decrease without such effects showing up statistically. Formally, weather- and lighting-corrected savings from DST were estimated at 0.18 percent with a 95 percent confidence interval ranging from 1.5 percent savings to a 1.4 percent increase."

So, remember to set your clocks to the right time this weekend. That way, you won't show up for work too early on Monday.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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