Now I really can't catch up

The US Congress decided to extend Daylight Savings Time by one full month this year, so the time changed yesterday (three weeks early) and will change in the fall one week later than usual. Apparently it will save energy and some believe there will be fewer crime incidents and car accidents, since it will be still be light later in the day. Personally, I feel this is too early to change the time. I walk my daughter to the bus stop at 7:00 in the morning and now it is still very dark then. She had trouble getting ready for school today because it was so dark.

This isn't the first time Daylight Savings Time has been extended. In 1974 and 1975, the time was extended to address the energy crisis spurred by an oil embargo. Upon evaluation of the 1970s extension, it has been found that changing the time earlier in the spring might result in electricity savings of 1 percent in March and April, equivalent to roughly a hundred thousand barrels of oil daily over the two months.

Since the US population has increased since the 70s, I would be curious how much energy could be saved by making this change permanent. If it makes a big impact, I would be willing to live with a permanent change, although it will take some adjustment.