A joke by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 — that Parisians should get up earlier to save candles — became reality in 1916.

In the middle of World War I, Germany introduced daylight saving time nationwide. Coal was running short. By moving the clocks forward one hour, evenings stayed brighter and factories and homes needed less artificial light. The coal that was saved went straight into the war industry.

The Allies noticed the advantage within weeks. Britain, France and others quickly followed.

After the war it was abolished. People hated it — especially farmers. It returned during World War II for the same reason: energy. After the war it was scrapped again, only to be locked in permanently across much of the Western world during the 1970s oil crisis.

Today the original justification is gone. LED lights use almost nothing. Air conditioning, on the other hand, runs around the clock and does not care about clock shifts. Brighter, warmer evenings often mean more AC use — which frequently costs more electricity than the lighting ever saved.

In this house the debate is even simpler. Every time change ruins my husband’s mood.

That’s the only reason I need to join Team Delete Daylight Saving.

Are you on Team Delete — or do you still defend the twice-yearly misery?