The clocks will turn back an hour on Sunday, October 30 this year
(Picture: Malvestida on Unsplash)According to a professor from Queen’s University Belfast, there could be savings to be passed on to British households if the Daylight Saving Time change was abandoned.
The practice was formally adopted between October 27, 1968 and October 31, 1971 on a trial basis, with advocates claiming it would save energy, reduce traffic accidents, and get people out and about and more active.
This year, the clocks will go back an hour on the last Sunday of October at 2am, on Sunday, October 30. However, every year, people debate whether the clocks should still be changed each autumn.
Now, Professor Aoife Foley, of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Queen’s University, is arguing that the demand for electricity would be reduced at peak hours, easing pressure on the National Grid.
As we head into winter, with warnings of potential energy shortages, and with every British household trying to save money on energy bills, the idea is gaining momentum.
“By simply foregoing the winter Daylight Saving Time (DST) in October, we save energy because it is brighter in the evening during winter, so we reduce commercial and residential electrical demand as people leave work earlier, and go home earlier, meaning less lighting and heating is needed,” explains Professor Foley.
“We are no longer in an energy crisis in Europe but an energy war and, dependent on weather conditions this winter, it is very likely we may need to start rationing energy very seriously to avoid bigger energy issues in December and January, when gas reserves start to run low.
“There is no doubt that by foregoing the daylight savings in winter, we would save a lot of energy, reduce our bills and carbon emissions during this energy war, and especially during a cost-of-living crisis,” she concludes.
