Sometimes it's Nice to be Right

Waaaay back in August, 2005, I wrote about the decision taken by Congress to extend daylight savings time by two weeks at each end. I said then "This move was billed by its congressional allies as an energy-saving measure. Baloney. It's just an energy-use-shifter, from the morning to the evening. People are still going to have to get up at the same time, they're just going to have to use more electricity in the mornings than they would today."

Well, the results are in: "'We haven't seen any measurable impact,' said Jason Cuevas, spokesman for Southern Co., one of the nation's largest power companies, echoing comments from several large utilities. That may come as no surprise to the Energy Department, which last year predicted only modest energy savings because the benefits of the later daylight hour would be offset. For example, households may draw less electricity for lights at night, but will use more power in the early in the day as they wake to darker and chillier mornings."

Brilliant, Congress. Simply brilliant.