Does Daylight Saving Save Energy? A Meta-Analysis

Tomas Havranek, Zuzana Irsova and Dominik Herman ()

No 2016/24, Working Papers IES from Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies

Abstract: The original rationale for adopting daylight saving time (DST) was energy savings. Modern research studies, however, question the magnitude and even direction of the effect of DST on energy consumption. Representing the first meta-analysis in this literature, we collect 162 estimates from 44 studies and find that the mean reported estimate indicates modest energy savings: 0.34% during the days when DST applies. The literature is not affected by publication bias, but the results vary systematically depending on the exact data and methodology applied. Using Bayesian model averaging we identify the most important factors driving the heterogeneity of the reported effects: data frequency, estimation technique (simulation vs. regression), and, importantly, the latitude of the country considered. Energy savings are larger for countries farther away from the equator, while subtropical regions consume more energy because of DST.

Keywords: Daylight saving time; energy savings; Bayesian model averaging; meta-analysis; publication bias (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C42 Q48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 40 pages
Date: 2016-11, Revised 2016-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Working Paper: Does Daylight Saving Save Energy? A Meta-Analysis (2016)
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