It’s that time again: on March 27, the clocks will change. Daylight saving time starts on Sunday, although the abolition of the time change is discussed repeatedly.
What does the time change bring?
Time shift was introduced to save energy. If it is daytime for more than an hour, electricity consumption is lower. At least that’s the plan.
Why should the time change be abolished?
However, the energy-saving effects are controversial and said to be virtually impossible to prove. In summer, less energy is used for lighting. In return, more heating is provided in the mornings in spring and autumn.
Germans are not fans of the time change. In polls, about three-quarters of respondents are in favor of its abolition and complain about “stolen time” in the spring.
This year, the biannual debate over the meaning and purpose of this measure seems to be much less or completely in view of the war in Ukraine. Physicist Andreas Bauch, from the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig, responsible for broadcasting legal time in Germany, does not hear the voice of any politician on the matter. The usual inquiries to his authority were also largely absent.
What is standard time?
At the beginning of daylight saving time – that is, in March – the clock is moved forward from two o’clock to three o’clock. Normal hours begin in October, when the clocks turn from three to two o’clock. The so-called winter time is standard time, Central European Time (CET). It lasts for five months, from late October to late March. Daylight Saving Time (CEST) applies to the remaining seven months. The time change is always the night of the last Sunday in October or the night of the last Sunday in March.
What problems can arise due to the time change?
The time change has an impact on people’s biorhythms. But summer can also confuse animals. This often leads to problems when they meet people. Dairy cows should always be milked and fed at the same time. To accustom the animals to the new work and get-up schedules, some farms are gradually adjusting their milking schedule to the new pace and, two weeks before the time change, begin milking their cows five minutes earlier each day. Just in time for the time shift, humans and animals are on the same biorhythm.
Wild animals are also less oriented by the time displayed on smartphones and wristwatches than by daylight and twilight. Deer and other animals prefer to cross roads at dusk. ADAC points this out to drivers. If rush hour traffic drops between 6 am and 7 am, there is a greater risk of collision. It is no coincidence that the number of deer killed in an accident in April was particularly high.
The technology does not cause problems with changing watches. The exact time is given by the atomic clocks of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt in Braunschweig. Radio clocks automatically adjust. The time change has been routine for Deutsche Bahn.
When should the time change be abolished?
The EU has long been discussing an end to the time change. In 2018 the time has come, the EU Commission has presented a corresponding bill. The European Parliament also agreed, but postponed the end of the scheduled 2019 time change to 2021. But member states did not agree. Therefore, plans are on hold.
Why hasn’t the time change been abolished yet?
EU countries disagree on which time should be abolished: winter time, also known as normal time, or daylight saving time. Some EU countries do not want to abolish the time change. The EU wants to avoid a patchwork of multiple time zones.
There is also a compromise proposal. Croatia’s Biljana Borzan, deputy leader of the Social Democrats in the EU Parliament, reportedly suggested to the European Commission that clocks be turned back just half an hour in the future. So it would always be 12:30 pm when the sun is at its highest, not 12 pm in winter and 1 pm in summer, as was the case before. However, the chances of success with half an hour should tend to zero.