Daylight-Saving Time (DST) is a system that extends the hours of daylight with the intention of reducing energy consumption during the summer months to make work hours more convenient; however, this would be problematic for people in Arizona. Because Arizona is hot, additional hours would increase energy consumption. Having more sunlight in the evening would lead to more air conditioning.
The people in Arizona were not delighted by the fact that they had to wait another hour to enjoy outdoor activities after sunset, which would make these summer activities fall late into the evening. With that, Arizona opted out of Daylight-Saving Time and chose to remain in standard time.
However, one area in Arizona that uses DST is a portion of the Navajo Nation, yet the Hopi Reservation, which surrounds the Navajo Nation, uses standard time. With the Navajo Nation observing DST, it causes issues for most of the people and the area surrounding it.
When Daylight Saving Time rolls around, residents near or in the Navajo Nation dread it. Parents living in Hopi struggle to get their kids to events and school. Hotels include in-room notices when stores close, and others give more information about the time zone changes to tourists for better understanding. Most essential needs, such as grocery stores, post offices, and hospitals, are in the Navajo Nation.
Some people living around the Navajo Nation don’t mind the change in hours, with one resident stating, “An hour difference is not too much of an inconvenience,” another describes it as “it’s like moving from landline phone lines to mobile cellular phones.”
Another state that opted to remain in standard time is Hawaii. Although Hawaii tried DST for a while in 1993, it lasted for 3 weeks. The island’s proximity to the equator would mean both sunrise and sunset would happen around the same time, which would provide 11 to 13.5 hours of daylight.
DST began as a temporary solution to help conserve fuel during World War I and World War II, but was permanently established in 1966. According to the Congressional Research Service, Germany was the first to observe daylight saving time to save fuel. Germany believed that limiting artificial light by changing the time would save about $23.8 million. After hearing Germany’s plan, the U.S. Embassy then sent an “order directing a change in the clocks to add an hour of daylight to the day during May through September,” on April 8th to Washington, D.C.
DST is still used today to allow extended daylight after work, making days longer to enjoy activities. Despite most of the states in the U.S. observing DST, Arizona chose not to observe DST to make it more convenient for the people of Arizona.
