When Do The Clocks Go Back And Why?

Every year, on the last Sunday of October, the clocks go back by one hour. For an extra hour in bed and to mark the end of British Summer Time (BST), we switch back to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to help us make the most of the dwindling winter sun.

This year, the clocks go back on Sunday, 26 October, at 1 am.

This depends on your device. Smartphones, computers, and other digital devices with an internet connection will update the time automatically. But other clocks and watches, such as those in cars, kitchens, wall clocks, or digital clocks, may not change on their own, so you will have to manually wind them back an hour.

The clocks change as part of Daylight Saving Time, which was proposed by William Willett in 1907. He argued that we were wasting important daylight by rising at the same time in the summer as we did throughout the winter months.

Here are a few reasons why the clocks change:

1. Maximising daylight hours

Originally designed to make the most of daylight when days become shorter in the fall, clocks go back an hour to give more daylight in the morning. On summer days, clocks go forward an hour to take advantage of the longer days.

This helps to encourage people to increase productivity during the daylight hours and leisure in the evenings. Changing the clocks can also make it safer. For example, driving in the daylight to and from work can reduce traffic accidents.

2. Seasonal transition

We change the clocks to transition with the seasons, especially when turning the clocks back. Without this shift, mornings would be extremely dark, making it harder to get out of bed in the mornings and go about daily routines. Changing the clocks makes this transition easier.

Related: How To Get Out Of Bed When You Don’t Want To

3. Energy conservation

Although it helps with making the most out of the day and getting your body ready for shorter days, the original purpose of changing the clocks was to conserve energy. By changing the clocks, people would need less artificial light in the evening in the summer, and it goes back in the autumn to rectify this. This was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 and implemented during World War I and II as a way to reduce electricity use and save fuel.

No, Daylight Saving Time is the name for the clocks going forward and is another name for British Summer Time (BST). This is the time zone we are in during the summer months and is used to maximise daylight in the evenings. In the winter, we turn the clocks back to our standard time, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), which is our standard time zone.

Setting the clocks back by an hour at the end of October means the mornings are lighter, which can affect the time you wake up in the morning. To ensure you’re getting sufficient rest, make sure your bedroom is dark enough to achieve your full 8 hours.

The clocks usually go back on a Saturday night/Sunday morning, as this is the time that is least disruptive for those on a standard five-day working week. However, those working a weekend night shift may find themselves working an extra hour when the clocks go back. If this applies to you, be sure to check your contract.

Yes! The change in October is where the clocks go backwards. That means it’s  “the good one” where we get an extra hour in bed. It’s in springtime, when the clocks change again, we lose an hour.

Yes, about a quarter of the countries in the world also change their clocks, but these don’t happen at the same time as our clock change in the UK.

This is because it depends on the varying lengths of daylight throughout the year, the geographical location, and political and practical considerations.

Much of the EU, North and South America, and Australia change their clocks. But many African and Asian countries around the equator don’t change the time as they experience consistent daylight during the year.

In the USA, it differs from state to state on what time they change their clocks, if they change them at all. Parts of Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa don’t use Daylight Saving Time.

While the clock changes have had some favours, including reducing energy consumption, longer evenings encouraging more hours in daylight, and more, it’s been a contentious issue.

In 2019, Members of the European Parliament voted to end Daylight Saving Time and remain year-round on GMT (winter time). Arguments against it included the inconvenience of changing the clocks twice a year and safety concerns about darker mornings. However, it’s now redundant, as most of us spend our time in well-lit environments, so it makes little difference.

This was meant to come into effect in EU nations in 2021. However, the legislation has been postponed. Despite some support from the public, there is no evidence the UK would follow suit, and EU states continue to use daylight saving time.

Now that we’ve covered the what, why, and how, here are some interesting facts about this annual ritual:

Next time you’re thinking, “When do the clocks go back?” simply memorise the phrase “spring forward, fall back”. The clocks always spring forward an hour on the last weekend in March and fall back on the final weekend of October.

The main reason for turning the clocks back was to make the most of the daylight available in the summer. Another argument, however, was that the different hours would affect the amount of domestic coal usage, thereby increasing the supplies available for manufacture and for supporting WWI.

We change our clocks twice during the year for many other reasons. Agriculture is a major concern, with farmers’ working hours being more affected by the amount of daylight available in the morning than the rest of us. Farmers often rise or begin work at around 5 in the morning. If the clocks were not adjusted, dairy farmers located in the North of the country would not see dawn until after 9 o’clock, meaning hours of working in the dark.

When the clocks go back, the day it happens has 25 hours instead of the usual 24. Since we gain an hour of sleep, we also gain an hour of our day, making the day seem longer than usual. For night owls, it’s a bonus!