Daylight savings is about to start in SC. Here’s when to spring forward, how to prepare
Although the colder weather has made another (and hopefully last) swoop across South Carolina, spring is still on the way.
Get ready for warmer days, more sunshine and less sleep.
Yep, you read that right … less sleep.
Daylight saving time is starting soon. Here’s everything you need to know about springing forward this March.
When is the time change?
For 2025, daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 9, at 2 a.m., so don’t forget to change your clocks before bed.
Get ready to spring forward and sacrifice that extra hour of sleep.
Even though the time change can be a bit annoying, it does have its perks: more sunlight in the evening.
Why do we have daylight saving time?
According to the Farmers’ Almanac, daylight saving time may have first started because of Benjamin Franklin.
His journal, titled ‘An Economical Project,’ written in 1784, is the earliest known proposal to save daylight.
Believed to be in a “whimsical tone,” Franklin wrote:
“Every morning, as soon as the Sun rises, let all the bells in every church be set ringing: and if that is not sufficient, let cannon be fired in every street to wake the sluggards effectually. Oblige a man to rise at four in the morning, and it is probable that he will go willingly to bed at eight in the evening.”
Daylight saving time is also often associated with war times when the U.S. needed to conserve energy, fuel and power.
And then, of course, we can’t forget our farmers.
One story that pops up every year is that daylight saving time allows farmers to have an extra hour in the fields to watch after crops. This has since been debunked and many farmers are opposed to daylight saving time because it disrupts their schedules.
What’s the best way to prepare for daylight saving time?
While losing sleep is never a pleasant experience, it’s important to remember that it is only for a day. From March until November, we’re gaining extra light during the times most are likely to be driving, working or enjoying the outdoors.
Here are a few tips to make next Sunday’s transition a smooth one.
Stick to your regular bedtime routine.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bedtime.
Fill up on proteins for dinner and try to eat at the same time, if not a little earlier.
Spend time outdoors. It’ll help your body’s natural clock reset.
Take a short nap.
Is it daylight “saving” or “savings” time?
According to Almanac.com, the correct term is without the extra ‘s.’ Meaning the right spelling is “Daylight Saving Time,” or you can refer to it as “Spring Forward.”
If you want to be a bit fancy and show off to your friends, you can refer to it as the British do, “Summer Time.”
Who’s in charge?
The Department of Transportation oversees Daylight Saving Time, rolling out the change at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November.
If you notice a municipality is not observing DST, you can report it to the DOT by emailing regulationsC50.law@dot.gov.
The DOT has no say in whether or not a state chooses to observe daylight saving time.
When does daylight saving time end?
Daylight saving time will end in 2025 on the first Sunday of November.
This year, that date is November 2, and we will “fall back” one hour and gain one hour of sleep.
Simply put, this change is the one that comes with the earlier sunsets and extra dark days.
What about time zones?
Believe it or not, the Farmer’s Almanac says that the abbreviations for time zones change when we spring forward with daylight saving time.
Here is how the abbreviations change:
After Daylight Saving Time Begins (March through November)
Eastern Daylight Time or EDT
Central Daylight Time or CDT
Mountain Daylight Time or MDT
Pacific Daylight Time or PDT
After Daylight Saving Ends (November through March)
Eastern Standard Time or EST
Central Standard Time or CST
Mountain Standard Time or MST
Pacific Standard Time or PST
Will daylight saving time ever go away?
Not everyone is a fan of changing the clocks. As a way to “lock the clocks,” The Sunshine Protection Act was first introduced in 2018 by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R‑FL).
The Sunshine Protection Act is a proposed United States federal law that would make U.S. daylight saving time permanent, meaning the time would no longer change twice per year.
The bill has been proposed during several sessions of Congress. Its latest update was in March of 2023, when the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
A change in South Carolina’s adherence to daylight saving will mean the Sunshine Protection Act has passed and the state will adopt permanent daylight saving time.
Other states that have proposed to adopt this change include:
Florida
Georgia
Alabama
Mississippi
Louisiana
Tennessee
Ohio
Delaware
Minnesota
Colorado
Utah
Montana
Washington
Oregon
States that voted down on this legislation were:
Idaho
Kentucky
Arkansas
Connecticut
Nebraska
Maine
Maryland
New Mexico
Virginia
Wyoming
If nothing changes by next year, we are set to spring forward again in 2026 on Sunday, March 8, at 2 a.m.
