Daylight Saving Time is your chance to keep your home running like clockwork.

On Sunday, March 13, 2022, Daylight Light Saving Time starts, and we turn our clocks ahead one hour.

The notion of Daylight Saving Time was the brainchild of Benjamin Franklin. According to the Franklin Institute, he came up with the idea to adjust sleep schedules during the summer months as a way to save energy. He figured that people could take advantage of extra daylight in the evenings instead of using energy to light their homes.

Today, with improvements in efficient lighting, it’s not likely that Daylight Saving Time is saving you a lot of energy. But the annual need to adjust your clocks is a great opportunity to check on a things around your home to keep it running smoothly, safely and efficiently.
 

1. Turn your clocks ahead one hour - Turning your clocks ahead one hour seems like an obvious step to take, but it’s easy to overlook some of your clocks. Pay attention to the clocks in your home that don’t automatically adjust to the time change. Clocks on your oven and microwave often require manual adjustments.

2. Replace the batteries in your smoke detector - It’s a good idea to regularly test the smoke detectors in your home. If you’ve been neglecting this important task, now is the perfect time to start. Ensure that your smoke detector continues to operate properly by swapping out the old batteries for new ones.

3. Test your carbon monoxide detector - You should also regularly test the carbon monoxide detectors in your home. Plug-in detectors should be tested once a month. If your detector is battery-powered, you should swap out the old batteries for new ones once a year.

4. Check on your furnace - Your furnace filter should be replaced at least every few months. A clean furnace allows your heating and cooling system to run more efficiently. You may also want to consider contacting an appliance repair technician to schedule an annual furnace inspection.

5. Pay attention to your plumbing - Look for unused plumbing areas in your home, like basement toilets and sinks. Running water in these areas for five to 10 minutes helps keep things functioning properly and prevents the drains from drying out and producing a rotten sewer smell.

6. Clear out hazardous waste - It’s easy for hazardous waste items to collect over time. Things like automotive fluids, garden chemicals and expired paint products should all be safely disposed of at a hazardous waste collection site near you.

7. Check your emergency supplies - You should always have a set of easy-to-access emergency supplies in your home. If you don’t already have an emergency kit, ready.gov offers a checklist to get you started. Take some time to check on the batteries in your kit and restock the items you’ve used throughout the year.

9. Give your thermostat a check up - Installing a programmable thermostat is an excellent way to reduce wasted energy overnight and while you're out of the house. Now that spring is almost here you may need to update the settings for maximum savings. While these settings can really help, keep in mind that even if you set your thermostat to the same settings each season you may still notice a change in our monthly energy costs depending on the weather. Extreme cold or heat makes your home's systems work harder to make up for the difference between the temperature outside and the temperature inside. And the more your system runs, the more energy it uses. You can offset those costs with our energy efficiency tips. 

9. Let Black Hills Energy handle the rest - Adjusting to a time change can be difficult. Rest assured that we’re here and we’re always ready. As we “spring” forward to a new season, we’re ready to cool your home, fuel that backyard grill and energize the summer fun ahead.