It’s that time of year again, when your mom sends the reminder text «Don’t forget the hours are back» and revelers ask if they get an extra hour at the bar.
Even though the European Parliament voted to permanently abolish daylight saving time after spring 2021, we will still be changing the clocks this weekend.
Here’s everything you need to know.
When do they change?
The clocks will return one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, October 31.
Each year, the hours change over the last weekend in March and October.
Apply for an hour on March 28 and will advance again in March of next year.
Why do seasonal time changes still happen after the vote to cancel it?
In 2019, the European Parliament voted to permanently abolish summer energy savings. The initial plan was to halt seasonal time changes after the spring of 2021. However, this has been put on ice due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ireland, the southern European MEP, called for Deirdre Clune to «keep summer all year long», but told Independent.ie: «It is unlikely that there will be changes in the next two years as the Commission has now expressed interest in taking any proposal forward. .»
«I am disappointed that the plan has been paused,» she added. “I was keen to move forward with the change because I think there is a demand to change the process of changing the clock and keeping the summer season all year round.”
The vote had no legal effect and «the ball is now in the court of member states because it is up to them to find a common position in the council,» the European Commission previously said.
The Department of Justice has previously raised concerns about two different time zones on the island of Ireland as a result of the UK leaving the European Union.
While a survey by Amárach Research found that two-thirds of the Irish people supported eliminating seasonal time changes, 82% of respondents did not support having two different time zones in the Northern Ireland Republic.
Why do the clocks come back?
After the summer solstice on June 21, the days are gradually getting shorter.
By turning back the clock by an hour during the fall, this provides people with more sunlight in the morning. Turning the clocks forward in spring brings brighter evenings, or, as we say in Ireland, «the great stretch.»
How long has this been happening?
The idea of British Daylight Saving Time (BST) was first proposed in the UK in 1907 by William Willett, who happened to be the great-grandfather of Coldplay singer Chris Martin. He felt that precious daylight was wasted in the morning during the summer months because people were still in bed.
published a brochure called waste of daylight, where he outlined his plans to change the time Nation Hours. But when he died in 1915, the government still did not support the BST.
Britain did not pass the Daylight Savings Time Act until a year later, in May 1916, and began changing its clocks twice a year. Ireland followed suit.
What are the downsides of returning watches?
While many enjoy an extra hour in bed, there are some downsides.
Jardi released a statement earlier today that international evidence indicates intrusions could rise by as much as 20% over the coming months when daylight hours are at their lowest.
Critics have also said that changing the hours is economically and socially disruptive, thus canceling any benefits.
Those in favor of eliminating time-switching said there are health benefits to eliminating the semi-annual time-shift, energy savings, and more time for evening leisure activities.