You will spring ahead earlier and fall back later this year, giving us four additional weeks of daylight-saving time.

That means you will have to turn your clocks ahead a week from Sunday, on March 11, instead of the first Sunday in April. And you'll turn them back Sunday, Nov. 4, instead of the last Sunday in October.

Congress mandated the change back in 2005 as a way to save energy.

What it has ended up doing is creating some hassles for banks, businesses and everyday folks in this age when everything is run by a computer or technological gadget that is set to the old daylight-saving time system.

And at least one utility wonders how much energy it actually will end up saving.

"We're really talking about a four-week difference," said George Lewis, a PPL spokesman. "Really, from our perspective, the energy savings result more from the things that people do, the actions they take. That will have a greater effect than an extra four weeks of daylight-saving time."

The idea behind the daylight-saving time change is that energy use is tied to when we go to bed and when we wake up. If we start our day earlier, and have more daylight hours, we should end up using less electricity for lights.

The extra four weeks of daylight-saving time does come at a period when people traditionally begin to use less energy as the temperature increases, Lewis noted. But if we get a cold snap during March, the savings from the extra daylight could be erased by the need to crank up the heat, he said.

If people really want to save electricity, they should take direct action, such as using compact fluorescent bulbs, programmable thermostats and energy-star appliances, Lewis said.

While designed to save energy, the move also will affect everyone from large corporations to the kid standing at the school bus stop in the morning.

Some of those kids will find themselves standing in the dark for a bit, like they did back in the fall before daylight-saving time started.

"Fortunately, it will get lighter each day," said Cindy Rhodes, spokeswoman for Penn Manor School District. "There is really nothing we can change."

The positive effect is that spring sports teams will have extra daylight in the late afternoon hours for practices or early scrimmages, she noted.

The change also will affect the average guy's home computer and other technological devices, such as PDAs, cell phones or even VCRs.

If your device is older than 2005, you likely will have to manually adjust the time on it. Many software manufacturers, such as Microsoft or Apple, have patches that can be downloaded. Go to their Web sites for help.

Or check the Web site of your gadget's manufacturer or your manual to see how to adjust the time.

Keep in mind you may have to adjust it again when the machine's automatic daylight-saving adjustment occurs in April.

D&E Communications, an Ephrata-based company that provides telephone and Internet access and communication systems, is bracing for some calls to its tech-support department from bewildered folks who don't know how to change their computer's clock.

"Usually you ask your friends, then you ask your family and the next one up is your ISP," said Tony Hoare, vice president for information technology.

And though technically this isn't a question relating to D&E's service, its support desk will direct people to places where they can get help. D&E also has posted links on its Web site.

Overall, people shouldn't get too worked up about all of this, Hoare said.

"Machines are going to run," he said. "It's more of an annoyance."

Of course businesses have had to take a large-scale approach to the change. Many have been working on the problem for months.

"It's been on our radar screen since the act was passed in 2005," said Rod Lefever, chief technology officer for Susquehanna Bancshares, based in Lititz.

The bank has fixed its automatic teller machines and computers, so that transactions will be logged at the correct time, he said.

In some ways, the computer changes are similar to the ones made back in 1999, as businesses prepared for the Y2K change.

"It's almost like a mini-year 2000," Hoare said, noting that D&E went "machine by machine" to make the changes.

However, there is no concern that systems will completely shut down this time, as there was back in 1999, business officials said.

Perhaps one of the biggest potential glitches could result from people who use a computerized system to schedule meetings.

If their computers' were fixed at different times, their calendars may be off by an hour. Lefever said people should talk to others personally to make sure everyone has the correct time.

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