Would permanent daylight saving time save Americans money?

NewsA recent study found that permanent daylight saving time would cause a $672 million loss to the American economy.Canva/Katherine RodriguezBy Katherine Rodriguez | NJ.comThe U.S. House recently passed legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent.While the legislation has yet to be signed into law or even pass the U.S. Senate, there are already questions about whether the change would save Americans money.Proponents of the legislation say that permanent daylight saving time would boost economic activity due to the lack of disruption caused by the fall and spring time shifts.However, a recent study from the consulting firm Chmura found daylight saving time would cost the U.S. economy $672 million, according to Newsweek.Here’s why the study found Americans could lose money with a switch to permanent daylight saving time.Why would permanent daylight saving time cost Americans money?According to the Chmura study cited by Newsweek, Americans would face hundreds of millions of dollars in additional health care costs related to the time change.The study said Americans could lose $375 million in heart attack-related expenses resulting from the time change and $252 million from stroke-related costs.“That estimate reflects the increased incidence of heart attacks, strokes and traffic accidents associated with losing an hour of sleep during the transition,” Christine Chmura, the CEO and chief economist at Chmura, told Newsweek.And there is research that backs up the Chmura study’s claim.Research shows daylight saving time is associated with an increase in heart attacks and strokes, according to the American Heart Association.While there are consequences for Americans’ health, permanent daylight saving time may actually boost the economy.More evening daylight could increase consumer spending at restaurants and retailers because people perceive more available time for leisure activities.Additional daylight could also reduce crime.According to the Brookings Institute, there would be a 27% decrease in robberies in the evening that would have otherwise occurred at night.But the energy savings that comes from daylight saving time is particularly minimal.The U.S. Department of Transportation found no evidence of traffic accidents clearly linked to daylight saving time and concluded the experiment produced no meaningful energy savings, with energy savings hovering between 0.4% and 1.5%, according to The Hill.Will daylight saving time become permanent again in 2026?Although the House passed legislation on permanent daylight saving time, it is unclear at this point if the Senate will pass their own version of the Sunshine Protection Act.As it stands right now, people are still scheduled to turn their clocks back an hour come November.Permanent daylight saving time adjustment could take up to 2 years, airlines sayDaylight saving time year-round has been done before: Here’s why it failed in the pastKatherine Rodriguez covers national trending news for the consumer life, finance and money team. For 5+ years now, Katherine has covered trending topics such as travel advisories, TSA-related news, recalls, the...