Congress Announces New New Daylight Saving Time Rules

This week Congress passed a new set of laws that is once again changing the rules regarding daylight saving time. Computer professionals, who were already scrambling to make sure their systems comply with the previously announced changes introduced by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, are now pondering the newly enacted Energy Policy Act of Twenty Minutes Ago.

Among the provisions in the Act:

--The start and end dates of daylight saving time will now be determined by zip code. Areas with even-numbered zip codes will begin daylight saving time on the second Sunday in March, while areas with odd-numbered zip codes will begin daylight saving time on August 12th. In zip codes that begin with a 1, 2, or 7, daylight saving time will end on the first Sunday in November. In zip codes that begin with a 3, 6, or 9, daylight saving time will end on July 4th. This means that in some zip codes daylight saving time will actually end before it begins. This will result in daylight spending time, during which accrued daylight will be spent and clocks will run backward.

--The above does not apply to zip codes that are multiples of 319, 682, or 7. In such areas, daylight saving time rules will be determined by telephone area codes, with dates determined by the following simple formulas:

DST start date = [first digit of area code] * [third digit of area code] - [second digit of area code] + 7

DST end date = 011 + [area code] + 1 / 33,967,110 + [the number you wish to reach]

--People who were born in January, March, or November must refrain from observing daylight saving time at all, unless they live on the east side of the street, and then only on Thursdays.

It is expected that these new rules will help to conserve more than three watts over the next ten years.