Many people are surprised to learn that Arizona doesn’t observe daylight saving time. But we’re not alone. Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands also don’t change the clocks with the rest of the country.
The reason we don’t recognize daylight saving time goes back to World War I when the U.S. government proposed the idea of “war time” in order to conserve precious fuel resources. Supervisors in Maricopa County refused to acknowledge the change.
The idea was brought back during WWII, when the state again refused the change. Even when the Uniform Time Act of 1966 was passed, Arizona reluctantly participated for only a single year. In 1967, Arizona’s legislature voted to permanently opt-out.
Does Arizona Do Daylight Savings?
The reason why is simple. In Arizona, shifting an hour of daylight to the evening, when temperatures typically are warmest, means one more hour of air conditioning, which means increased energy consumption and more service calls by heating and air conditioning companies like Day & Night Air.
By not adding one more hour of daylight in the evening, Arizona lawmakers helped keep energy consumption down and reduced the strain on the region’s energy grid. This helps residents keep energy costs down.
In fact, a 2008 report from the U.S. Department of Energy estimated that sticking with the same time year-round could save 0.5% of the energy consumed per day. Nationwide, that equates to enough energy to power 100,000 homes.
For Arizona residents, it means that from November through March the state is on the same time as Denver, while from March to November it is on the same time as Los Angeles. As the seasons change, Arizonans become bona fide time travelers without the need for Doc Brown’s DeLorean.
However, there is one small area in the northeast corner of the state that does participate. The Navajo Nation observes daylight saving time, even though the Hopi Nation inside the reservation does not.
We invite you to contact Day & Night Air to learn more about the services we have to offer. Our HVAC technicians are available 24/7 to ensure that your heating and air conditioning systems keep you comfortable throughout the year regardless of the time of day.
