Daylight Saving Time 2017: Don't Forget To Spring Ahead, And Check Your Alarms

MASSACHUSETTS — So, when does Daylight Saving Time start? We're sorry to say (to some of you) that it's indeed this weekend, the "spring ahead" that causes you to lose an hour of sleep, but gives you more light in the day.

Daylight Saving Time starts Sunday, March 12, 2017.

Officially, the time change is at 2 a.m. Sunday, but if you have an analog clock, a microwave or oven clock or the like that doesn’t automatically change like your smartphone does, you will want to push the time ahead by an hour before you go to bed.

The thought that the practice saves money and energy, the rationale behind Daylight Saving Time, has been challenged in recent years.

An article on the National Geographic website said a study of Indiana, which up until 2006 had counties that did and did not observe the practice, found that lighting demand did drop when Daylight Saving Time goes into effect but the savings were offset by the use of more air-conditioning. There have also been studies that conclude that the change in time changes biological rhythms, increasing the risk of heart attacks, National Geographic reported.

The reality is that sunrise will be later, but so will sunset. Right now, sunrise is around 6:20 a.m. and the sun sets about 5:50 p.m.

On Sunday, the first day of Daylight Saving Time, the sun will rise around 7:12 a.m. and set close to 7 p.m.

While you're at it, do some more housekeeping and check your alarms; state fire officials hook up with the Daylight Saving Time reminder to also remind you to do so.

This weekend as you change your clocks, check your alarms,” said State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey in a statement. “Prevent that annoying chirp of a dying smoke alarm battery by replacing the alkaline batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms now, unless you have newer alarms with 10-year sealed batteries. Check the age of your alarms. Smoke alarms need to be replaced after ten years usually, and carbon monoxide alarms after 5-7.”

Photo Credit: Hulton Archive, Getty Images