Saving more than time
Don't forget to spring forward this weekend. We're making the switch to Daylight Savings Time three weeks earlier this year, and that could save smart energy consumers some cash.
A man in Lima, Peru changes time on his pocketwatch. (Eitan Abramovich, AFP/Getty Images)
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SCOTT JAGOW: It's Daylight Savings Time already. We're springing forward this weekend, three weeks earlier than normal. Jeff Tyler tells us what we'll be saving.
JEFF TYLER: Springing ahead early is meant to save energy.
The non-profit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has calculated the financial savings. Bill Prindle is the acting director.
BILL PRINDLE: We estimated that cumulatively, through 2020, we could save about $4.4 billion in electric bills.That's roughly $1 saved for every American.
But while the changing clocks have gotten all the attention, Prindle says other provisions from the same 2005 energy bill have much more financial significance.
PRINDLE: There are energy efficiency standards that will save 15 times as much money, energy and carbon as the Daylight Savings Time measure itself.Much of the savings comes from new appliance standards.
And consumers can save money by taking advantage of energy-friendly tax incentives, but Prindle cautions that time is running out. The tax incentives end this year.
I'm Jeff Tyler for Marketplace.
