Change in Daylight Savings Time May Present Problems
The upcoming change in daylight savings time may be problematic for computer and electronic instrumentation and security systems.
The upcoming change in daylight savings time may be problematic for computer and electronic instrumentation and security systems.
This year, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) mandates that daylight savings time will go into effect the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November. Previously, daylight savings time began in the U.S. on the first Sunday in April and ended on the last Sunday in October.
Many facility systems have automatic daylight savings time capabilities, but many computer, electronic instrumentation and security systems will need to be changed manually, according to Lee Technologies.
Without manual changes, some systems may rotate or automatically exercise equipment at unexpected times, logs and time stamps could be incorrect and access control systems may inappropriately deny or allow access.
Facility executives should consider checking the following instrumentation:
- All proprietary systems that require a firmware update from the manufacturer, including fire panels, automatic transfer switches, UPS and generator control systems.
- Building management, security and monitoring systems running on a commercial operating system. Software patches are available for some systems.
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