Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend. Yeah, we forgot about it too. But this is the second year that it's started in early March. Remember when Congress included the change in the 2005 Energy Policy Act, promising us that extending DST by four weeks from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November would save 10,000 barrels of oil each day though reduced power use by businesses?

Well, wouldn't you know it -- researchers at the University of California – Santa Barbara have just published new research demonstrating that air conditioning and heating costs rise as lighting costs fall during DST, resulting in a net rise in energy use. The study examined households and businesses in Indiana, a state where until two years ago, only 15 of 92 counties took part in DST.

Don't get too concerned yet. According to the study, the price increase per household in Indiana totals a paltry $3.19 per year, for a total of $8.6 million, and the increase in energy use is only 4 percent.

The researchers, led by Matthew J. Kotchen, caution against dismissing DST outright on the basis of their study. However, it's impossible not to consider the carbon footprint of Daylight Savings, and we'd be interested to see if eliminating it would have a worthwhile impact on carbon emissions, and if it becomes a factor under carbon cap-and-trade programs.