Every March, most of the United States “springs forward” from standard time to Daylight Saving Time, or DST, which remains for the following six months. In recent years, a group of mostly Republican lawmakers have periodically brought the issue of making DST permanent back to public attention with legislative proposals.

Once suggested by Benjamin Franklin as a cost-saving measure, Daylight Saving Time was ultimately created to extend daylight hours during the summer months. The practice was first implemented across the US and Europe to save energy costs during World War I and was reinstated during World War II. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 established a consistent Daylight Saving Time system across the US. The country briefly tried permanent Daylight Saving Time during the energy crisis of the 1970s, but there has since been a lot of research on the impact permanent DST would have on health and safety.

Explore our tool to see how a permanent switch to Daylight Saving Time would affect your life — including how much you'd see the sun before and after work, school and more.