That time again: What to know about Daylight Saving Time, and other household things to do as we reset our clocks

Electric Time technician Dan LaMoore adjusts a 1000-lb.,
12-foot-diameter clock in Medfield, Mass. (Elise Amendola/AP)

Daylight saving time (should we capitalize that?) begins at 2 a,m. local time Sunday. Here are some key facts about it, as reported by Scott Dance of The Washington Post:

Daylight time began as "a global response to wartime energy demands. During World War I, countries on both sides of the conflict adopted it to maximize daylight time during typical waking hours. . . . It no longer has as much to do with energy savings. Increasing adoption of super-efficient LED bulbs means lighting now makes up a tiny fraction of households’ energy usage. Today, the persistence of daylight saving time is more a matter of inertia — and the costs of changing more than a century of habit."

Since you have to make the effort to change your clocks twice a year, emergency managers recommend adding steps to your routine — at both the start and end of daylight saving time — that can keep you prepared all year. There are other things to do besides changing your clocks:

• Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, and replace their batteries, if not the devices themselves.
• Review household emergency plans and readying your home for potential power outages or extreme cold.
• Good Housekeeping magazine suggests some spring cleaning-type steps: flipping mattresses, cleaning refrigerator coils, replacing air filters.

To adjust to the beginning of daylight saving time itself, sleep experts encourage preparing for potential sleep disruptions. Some suggest using relaxation techniques to improve sleep in the days ahead of the clock shift, and to prioritize daylight exposure to help set your body’s internal clock.

Daylight saving time is a federal law, but states have been taking stands on it, mostly in favor of year-round daylight time; sleep experts say we'd be better off with year-round standard time. The National Conference of State Legislatures has a rundown of recent state activity.

What should I do besides changing my clocks?