If you’re not looking forward to “springing forward” with daylight savings time, there’s a way you can make getting up an hour earlier a little easier. Just go to bed 15 minutes earlier and get up 15 minutes earlier every day from Wednesday night through Sunday morning. That way, when Sunday night rolls around, you won’t dread turning the clock ahead because your body will have already adjusted.

Another thing that may make it a little easier is knowing that by observing Daylight Saving Time, you’ll be helping to reduce America’s electricity usage—it’s estimated that we’ll use one percent less every day from March 9 through November 1. While that doesn’t sound like a lot one household at a time, it really does add up! Based on last fall’s rates and typical usage, the average household could save $10.69—multiply that by the 110 million households and just imagine!

How does it work? It’s a simple theory proven by studies done by the U.S. in the 1970s. Because the daylight will last longer into the evening, there will be less need for lighting while people are home. In addition, because of the longer evenings and warmer weather, many Americans spend more time outdoors, saving even more electricity.

Since the switch to Daylight Saving Time doubles as a reminder to replace your smoke detector battery, you might as well replace a few regular light bulbs with energy-saving fluorescent bulbs while you have the ladder out. You’ll see an even bigger drop in your lighting bill.

Other benefits of Daylight Saving Time may be a reduction in car accidents and crime because more people are traveling home from work and running errands during daylight hours.

If it saves so much energy, why don’t we follow Daylight Saving Time year-round? From November through February, the darkest months of the year, the current theory is that any advantage gained in the afternoon would be taken away by the need for morning lighting because of the later sunrise.

Enjoy the extra daylight!