TUCSON - While most of the nation will be turning their clocks forward by one hour this Sunday, Arizonans will not - our state does not recognize Daylight Saving Time.

However, the date is a good reminder to check the batteries in the smoke detectors in your homes to make sure they are working properly.

According to the site "timeanddate.com," Arizona has observed Daylight Saving Time in the past: during both World War I and World War II.

When the Uniform Time Act was passed by Congress in 1966, Arizona observed Daylight Saving Time for one final year, before most of the state switched permanently to Mountain Standard Time.

This Sunday, the other states in this time zone will switch to Mountain Daylight Time, springing forward by one hour. Arizona will remain on Mountain Standard Time, which is the same as Pacific Daylight Time (Pacific Standard Time is one hour behind us.)

Why doesn't Arizona observe Daylight Saving Time? Simply put: the heat. Most people believed a daylight saving schedule was not necessary in the hot climate. While most of the country saves on energy costs with brighter evenings, Arizonans argued the state would save money on cooling costs in the summer.

"Most people believed that a daylight saving schedule was not necessary for Arizona's hot climate," the site states. "For many, it was easier to undertake personal activities, including sporting activities, when the temperature was cooler in the evening."

Some parts of Arizona do observe DST, however. The Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation observes Daylight Saving Time, as its territory spans across three states.

The Hopi Nation, located within the Navajo reservation in Arizona, goes along with Arizona in non-observance, according to timeanddate.com.

The benefits and drawbacks of Daylight Saving Time are, at best, dubious, even in the rest of the country. A 2008 study from the University of California at Santa Barbara found that electricity consumption actually increased slightly during the DST period.

For more information on Arizona and Daylight Saving Time, check out:

http://www.timeanddate.com/time/us/arizona-no-dst.html



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