Daylight Saving Time (Horario de Verano) begins in Mexico on Sunday, April 3, at 2 a.m. Clocks must be turned forward one hour. (Most sensible people set their clocks before they head to bed for the night.)
This means Mexico will be back in sync with the United States and Canada, where Daylight Saving Time (DST) began on the second Sunday of March.
Mexico adopted the measure 20 years ago — despite considerable opposition — conforming with countries around the world in an effort to cut down on energy use and pollution.
According to federal data, Mexico saves 1.05 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity thanks to Horario de Verano. This is enough to power 602,000 homes or keep 9.18 million florescent lights switched on for 24 hours a day throughout an entire year.
The program appears to have a more profound effect in Mexico than in the energy guzzling United States, if data from the two countries is to be trusted. North of the border, the 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours saved through DST is equivalent to the amount of electricity used in just 100,000 households in one year, according to a 2008 Department of Energy report.
Mexican officials say Horario de Verano savings are equivalent to the release of 466,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.