Every year in spring and fall, the same debate resurfaces around the much-discussed daylight saving time, reintroduced for energy savings since 1976 in France and harmonized across Europe since 1996. But remember, last February, the European Parliament voted to abolish daylight saving time. Will things move? What’s your view?
Daylight saving time vs. standard time: for or against?
To better decide and at the request of the European Parliament, the French National Assembly launched a large public online consultation in 2018 aimed at asking citizens what they think about daylight saving time. The consultation comprised seven questions and was analyzed and then relayed to European institutions.
The results, unequivocal, pushed the European Commission to propose a new directive ending seasonal time changes in the European Union. European transport ministers, gathered on December 3, 2018, envisioned 2021 as the date to abandon this system. Each member state would then decide its legal time and whether to adopt permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time, but with crises piling up, this dossier remains pending. And still nothing in 2025!
What if we could save energy by not turning the clocks back in October?
A British researcher calculated the energy savings if the shift to winter time were not applied. According to her, energy demand in the evening peaks between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. in winter. Professor Aoife Foley, a clean-energy expert at Queen’s University Belfast, stated in The Guardian: “By simply not switching from daylight saving time to standard time in October, we would save energy, because it stays lighter in the evenings in winter. We would thus reduce the demand for commercial and residential electricity when people leave work, meaning less lighting and heating would be required.” According to her calculations, it would be possible to save 500 euros per family per year. This study should be viewed with caution, because in Europe night does not fall at the same time everywhere and electricity tariffs are not uniform.
In the night from Saturday, October 25 to Sunday, October 26, 2025, you will therefore need to set your clock back one hour. At 3 a.m., it will be 2 a.m. Do you think this is still necessary?
Ethan Hartwell
I break down everyday products to understand what they truly contain and what they imply. My goal is simple: make information clear and useful so people can make more responsible choices without complexity or unnecessary noise.
