Remains of the Daylight

Thanks to a provision in last year's energy bill, we all sprung forward three weeks early this year. According to the Energy Department, we did so to conserve energy. How'd that work out?

Other than forcing millions of drowsy American workers and school children into the dark, wintry weather three weeks early, the move appears to have had little impact on power usage.

"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.

As Reason subscribers already know, Berkeley doctoral candidates Ryan Kellogg and Hendrik Wolff predicted as much. Bottom line: People do indeed use less energy during sun-filled evenings. Problem is, they more than make up for it during cold, dark mornings.