Europe considers ending daylight saving time

From the early hours of Sunday, 31/4/24, Europe moved its clocks forward by one hour, but this could be one of the last times it happens, as highlighted in a publication by Euronews.

Efforts to abolish Daylight Saving Time (DST) could reignite within the EU, as reported by Rebecca Ann Hughes and Andreas Rogal on the organisation’s website.

It is estimated, they report, that the issue will be discussed again during the current pre-election campaign for the June European elections, in order to pressure member states to reintroduce the European Commission’s proposal to abolish DST, which is also supported by the majority of the European Parliament under its current composition.

In 2018, the European Commission officially proposed the abolition of the biannual clock change, and the Parliament supported this proposal in a resolution in March 2019. A public consultation organised by the Commission showed strong support from 4.6 million EU citizens.

Although initially stated that the abolition of DST would be decided by 2021, discussions stalled as member states appear divided on the practical implementation of the change, as highlighted in the report. And the following is intended: As the discussion seems likely to resurface, one of the biggest unanswered questions is whether DST actually reduces energy consumption.

Several studies have found that the environmental impact of the time change is negligible or even negative.

A study by researchers at Charles University in Prague used hourly data from 2010 to 2017 to find that DST resulted in an estimated energy saving of just 0.8% of annual electricity consumption. In the USA, a study conducted by the Department of Transportation in 1975 showed that DST reduced energy consumption by about 1% in the country.

According to Euronews, this insignificant saving may partly be due to many people getting up before 7 a.m. Much of the energy saved from not turning on lights at night was offset by turning them on in the morning.

A 1993 publication regarding fuel consumption (gas, coal) in France and Belgium observed an increase in fuel consumption with DST due to additional driving. This was confirmed by studies on pollutant dispersion.

On the contrary, natural time zones, as close as possible to solar time, likely better align daily light and temperature curves with our schedules. This could lead to energy savings in industrial and other lighting early in the morning, heating early in the morning during colder months, as people leave for work an hour later and less air conditioning is required in cars during post-work commutes and evenings at home.

In 2023, experts asked the Council of the European Union to add the issue of abolishing clock changes to its agenda.

A report by the non-profit organisation Time Use Initiative calls on the EU “to react to the negative impact of misaligned time by pushing for the implementation of permanent time zones as close as possible to solar time (natural time) in Europe”. According to the organisation, “the change in time, which makes schedules start earlier than the natural day-night cycle, increases sleep deprivation and has negative effects on human health and the economy”.

From the early hours of Sunday, 31/4/24, Europe moved its clocks forward by one hour, but this could be one of the last times it happens, as highlighted in a publication by Euronews.

Efforts to abolish Daylight Saving Time (DST) could reignite within the EU, as reported by Rebecca Ann Hughes and Andreas Rogal on the organisation’s website.

It is estimated, they report, that the issue will be discussed again during the current pre-election campaign for the June European elections, in order to pressure member states to reintroduce the European Commission’s proposal to abolish DST, which is also supported by the majority of the European Parliament under its current composition.

In 2018, the European Commission officially proposed the abolition of the biannual clock change, and the Parliament supported this proposal in a resolution in March 2019.

A public consultation organised by the Commission showed strong support from 4.6 million EU citizens.

Although initially stated that the abolition of DST would be decided by 2021, discussions stalled as member states appear divided on the practical implementation of the change, as highlighted in the report. And the following is intended:

As the discussion seems likely to resurface, one of the biggest unanswered questions is whether DST actually reduces energy consumption.

Several studies have found that the environmental impact of the time change is negligible or even negative.

A study by researchers at Charles University in Prague used hourly data from 2010 to 2017 to find that DST resulted in an estimated energy saving of just 0.8% of annual electricity consumption.

In the USA, a study conducted by the Department of Transportation in 1975 showed that DST reduced energy consumption by about 1% in the country.

According to Euronews, this insignificant saving may partly be due to many people getting up before 7 a.m.

Much of the energy saved from not turning on lights at night was offset by turning them on in the morning.

A 1993 publication regarding fuel consumption (gas, coal) in France and Belgium observed an increase in fuel consumption with DST due to additional driving. This was confirmed by studies on pollutant dispersion.

On the contrary, natural time zones, as close as possible to solar time, likely better align daily light and temperature curves with our schedules.

This could lead to energy savings in industrial and other lighting early in the morning, heating early in the morning during colder months, as people leave for work an hour later and less air conditioning is required in cars during post-work commutes and evenings at home.

In 2023, experts asked the Council of the European Union to add the issue of abolishing clock changes to its agenda.

A report by the non-profit organisation Time Use Initiative calls on the EU “to react to the negative impact of misaligned time by pushing for the implementation of permanent time zones as close as possible to solar time (natural time) in Europe”.

According to the organisation, “the change in time, which makes schedules start earlier than the natural day-night cycle, increases sleep deprivation and has negative effects on human health and the economy”.