Clocks are about to fall back. Why does Pennsylvania still use daylight saving time?

It’s the season of “falling back” with the end of daylight saving time at 2 a.m. this Sunday, Nov. 5.

While most people’s phones, televisions, and smart devices will automatically roll back clocks one hour, for many, it’s time to figure out how to change the time on the microwave again.

It’s a practice that’s been held by most states in the U.S. for more than a century, with roots as an energy-saving tactic during wartime. Commonly (but incorrectly) known as “daylight savings time,” it’s a topic that’s hotly debated every year with some politicians in Pennsylvania even trying to get rid of it.

Here’s what you need to know about the tradition of daylight saving time.

This year, daylight saving time ends on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 2 a.m. After that, all clocks should be set back one hour.

There are commonly told stories that it was invented to give farmers more time to harvest crops or that Benjamin Franklin created it in the 1700s, but both are wrong.

In fact, farmers lobbied against enacting daylight saving time in 1918, and Ben Franklin recommended waking up with the sun in a satirical essay about saving money on candles and oils.

Daylight saving time in the U.S. dates to 1918, when it was enacted year-round as part of a global effort to save on energy costs during World War I. It was implemented again for the same reason during World War II. At one point, the practice was nicknamed “war time,” according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Then, in 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which put the practice of switching our clocks twice a year permanently into place. However, states can opt out of the mandate like Hawaii and Arizona did.

While daylight saving time was invented to conserve energy, the jury is still out on whether it’s effective. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy reported that the practice saved around .5% of daily electricity costs during the months of daylight saving time.

However, a 2008 study published in the National Bureau of Economic Research found that there was little evidence to support that daylight saving time saves energy, and could in fact increase energy consumption.

According to a 2017 analysis of dozens of previous studies done on daylight saving time’s impact, only a small amount of energy is saved in the process if any at all and results vary from study to study.

In a report by the U.S. Department of Transportation, since 2015, at least 45 states have attempted to change their observance of daylight saving time or switch to a permanent standard of time. Pennsylvania is one of those states.

In 2021, the Pa. House of Representatives passed a bill to end the practice and switch to a uniform year-round standard of time, but the measure failed to pass in the State Senate.

The bill’s sponsor, State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R., Lehigh), has introduced this bill a few times. He said earlier this year that public opinion speaks for itself — people don’t like the practice.

However, figuring out which standard of time to go with is more difficult.

Federal mandates allow states to opt out of daylight saving time and use standard time year-round; the law doesn’t allow states to use daylight saving time year-round. A U.S. Senate bill called the Sunshine Protection Act would allow states to make that switch, but as of 2023, it’s been stalled in the legislative process.

“I would choose either option over the current practice,” said Mackenzie in March. “At the same time, I think permanent daylight saving time has additional benefits that have brought me to the point of supporting it.”

Mackenzie said he looks to possible improvements to public safety and increased social and commercial activity as benefits of permanent daylight saving time. He introduced a new bill — HB272 — in March; it’s currently under consideration by the House State Government Committee.

In the meantime, Pennsylvania will continue to switch clocks twice a year.

If you ask Americans about daylight saving time, more than half will tell you they want to end the practice, according to a 2019 study by the University of Chicago.

However, participants in the study were somewhat split on which standard of time to switch to year-round, with 40% of participants preferring standard time and 31% wanting daylight saving time.

Regardless of which standard of time a state uses, research shows that the abrupt one-hour shift in time twice per year leads to more heart attacks, strokes, and automobile accidents.

Daylight saving time provides more daylight in the evening to run errands and do activities. In some studies, it’s been found to conserve small amounts of energy.

Many will prefer that extra daylight after school and work, but it means that some days people will wake up while it’s still dark out. According to health and sleep experts, having early-morning sunlight, instead of darkness, keeps humans’ natural sleep schedule in check.

When daylight saving time ends and clocks are moved back one hour, there is more morning light. This standard of time is what human bodies have naturally evolved with, helping to reset the brain’s 24-hour internal clock each day (also called our circadian rhythm) by signaling the body to wake up during sunrise and go to sleep during sunset.

This is called standard time, and its primary benefit is that our bodies’ sleep schedules prefer extra sunlight in the morning, according to health and sleep experts.

However, critics of standard time would lament the loss of daylight in the evenings to enjoy sunshine with friends after school and work, for businesses to stay open longer, and provide the ability to run errands while it’s still light out.