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3 good things about the clocks going forward

At 1 AM on Sunday 29th March 2015, the clocks will go forward as Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins.

Whilst that realisation will cause most of us to desperately claw at our pillows grumbling something about losing out on a precious hour of sleep, this year, we propose a different approach.

Here are three good things about the clocks going forward:

1. You’ll get an extra £21 in your pocket

The average household pays 10p per hour1 for electricity. With the days staying brighter for an extra hour over the next seven months, you’ll be able to keep the lights off for longer, saving you around £21 on your electricity bills.

2. Your clothes will last longer

Every time you clear out your tumble dryer, do you find lint? Lint is not just a build up of dust that latches onto your favourite jumper throughout the day, it’s the breakdown of clothing fibres too, which often accounts for why you discover loose stitching, fabric holes and faded colours on your garments.

Use the extra hour of sunlight to protect your clothing from the high heats and speeds of your tumble dryer by hanging your clothes out to dry on the line instead.

3. Lie-ins and late nights

Make up for the hour of sleep you’ll lose on Saturday night with a lie-in on Sunday morning… and then get on with enjoying the long, sunny days to come! After all, DST is all about shaking yourself out of hibernation mode and gathering a load of friends around the BBQ or heading out to the nearest beer garden for some feel good times.

Ever wondered why the clocks go back and forth but never quite got round to finding out the answer?

Here are the essential facts about Daylight Saving Time that you need to know:

  • The idea of Daylight Saving was first proposed by British-born New Zealander George Vernon Hudson in 1895.
  • British Summer Time (BST) was suggested in 1907 by William Willet, a keen horse rider who was frustrated with early morning sunlight going to waste in the summer months. He created a pamphlet titled ‘The Waste of Daylight’ in which he campaigned for the clocks to be changed, much to the opposition of farmers, but Willet died in 1915 before the reform was accepted.
  • Austria and Germany were the first to implement DST in 1916, closely followed by the UK and the rest of Europe. The First World War was a major factor in the adoption as money needed saving during wartime.
  • The current system has been in place since 1972, although proposals for keeping the clocks one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) all year round have been frequently debated in parliament.
  • Lighter evenings have been merited with reducing road traffic accidents and crime rates2.
  • BST is thought to be good for physical and psychological health, particularly in relieving the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Most digital clocks will automatically make the switch tomorrow but if you’re still using a clock that ticks, don’t forget to put it forward by one hour at 1 AM GMT.


1 UK Power, 2015. Gas & electricity tariff prices per unit. [Online] Available at: http://www.ukpower.co.uk/home_energy/tariffs-per-unit-kwh.
2 The News, 2015. Eight things you need to know about the clocks going forward. [Online] Available at: http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/eight-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-clocks-going-forward-1-6653039.
[Accessed 25th March 2015].

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