Historically in the United States, daylight saving time started as a World War I energy- and cost-savings measure — with the added value of giving people more daylight hours during which to go shopping. It’s a myth that the practice meets the needs of farmers during growing and harvest seasons.

According to some research, it still offers some of its original benefits: A 2008 report from U.S. Department of Energy analysts showed that daylight saving time reduces electricity usage by about 0.5 percent each day.