It’s soon time to change clocks across the UK, meaning we can expect two big changes. The bad news: British summer is well and truly over and we’re entering the winter months. The good: you'll cash in an extra hour of sleep, with the clocks set to move back this October.
But when exactly? And why do we change the clocks back just to move them forward again in March? Here’s all you need to know.
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When do the clocks change in October 2024?
The clocks go back at 2am Sunday 27th October 2024, marking the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST) or British Summer Time (BST), and the move to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
It means sunset will happen one hour earlier at 4:41pm in London on the Sunday the clocks change. But expect to see the sunlight streaming through your curtains a little earlier that day too, as the sunrise will shift an hour back to 6:45am (from 7:45am) in London.
No need to worry about changing the time on your smartphone, as that will occur when you’re sound asleep. Unfortunately, the dreaded task of changing the car clock, wall clocks and oven clocks will soon be upon us.
Let’s hope this year we don’t click the ever-so-sensitive minute button too many times and have to start the process all over again...
Why do the clocks change?
The reason isn’t scientific, but arguably practical. Changing our clocks for summer and winter allows us, its supporters claim, to get the most out of the daylight. Moving our clocks back at the end of this month will supposedly allow us to get a winter headstart, as sunset gets earlier and earlier.
Where did daylight saving time start?
The concept of Daylight Saving Time can be linked back to ideas from opposite sides of the world. In 1895 in New Zealand, George Hudson proposed shifting clocks back two hours in summer. For the scientist, it would allow him to have more daylight to catch insects. But on a broader scale, he argued it would give workers more opportunities for daylight leisure and fresh air.
Just over a decade later in 1907, William Willett, the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, put forward similar ideas. Willett published a leaflet arguing hours of sunlight were wasted while everyone was asleep. Despite support from then-future Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the author of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, the changes were seen as too drastic at the time.
The UK would finally implement Daylight Saving Time in 1916, to cut down on energy consumption in the First World War. Willett’s original plan to change the clocks in 20 minute increments over four weeks has since been simplified to occur over one hour on the last Sunday in October.
By 1918, the US began trialling daylight saving to conserve wartime energy.
Why do people want to abolish Daylight Saving Time?
While we may be getting the perk of an extra hour of sleep this side of the year, some people don’t adjust well to losing an hour in March. In 2019, scientists found that in the weeks after the spring clock change, the risk of heart attack significantly increased.
They also discovered a drop in sleep quality in the transition time after a clock change. When clocks go forward in spring, it takes most people a week to adjust. In autumn, even with the extra hour under our belts, some struggle to wake up to their new alarm time.
But the time change affects more than just your health. In 2016, a US researcher estimated the country loses $275 million (£225m) every March due to a dip in productivity when clocks go forward.
Experts recommend exposing yourself to natural light during the day and avoiding the snooze button to help your body shift to the new time.
So why don’t we abolish it altogether?
Apart from the benefit of getting outside and optimising our daylight hours, researchers have found other perks.
When entering British Summer Time in spring, serious road accidents drop by almost 20 per cent. The extra light in the evenings reduced accidents from 6pm to 9pm. When the clocks change in autumn, there is a small drop in fatal accidents where the daylight is reallocated to the morning.
There are also other perks, such as how some crimes decrease in the months with more daylight. In the US, it’s estimated the change causes a 7 per cent reduction in robberies.
Which countries do not use Daylight Saving Time?
Most countries don’t use it. The UK is part of a changing clocks club of around 70 countries (of 195). The majority of Africa does not use daylight saving time, while some countries can’t even agree on whether they subscribe to the concept – like in Australia, where the country is spliced into different time zones when Daylight Savings starts.
The EU remains in limbo about whether they will soon be scrapping Daylight Saving Time. As the EU Council waits to make its decision on whether it agrees to abolishing DST, member countries will continue to change their clocks twice a year.
Countries near the equator, including Japan, India and China have consistent daylight, so they don’t bother changing their clocks.
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