If we did not shift here, it would be dark near 3PM for about 15 days either side of the winter solstice, meaning higher energy usage in public buildings, businesses, etc. Outdoor work would suffer as well. Schoolchildren walking home in poor light (not so much these days, of course, but you can see whay that would have been a big deal in the past).

As for a quantitative analysis of the actual energy savings, I assume it would be almost impossible, even based on an emperical order of magnitude, to to propose a figure which would be reasonably acceted without arguement and perhaps even grandstanding. However, given the fact that I am an astute and emminently qualified engineer well versed in cost-benefit analysis, I offer the following. A penny saved is a penny earned.

I'm with Spaw. Been of like mind since my old man first took me trout fishing on Blind Brook after work in early June when I was 10 years old and we got back to the car at 10PM. I was allowed to stay up until 10PM!