Changeover to winter time: save an hour’s sleep this weekend!

On the night of Saturday 26 to Sunday 27 October, France officially switches to winter time. In practical terms, at 3 a.m., the clocks will go back an hour to 2 a.m., giving the French an extra hour’s sleep.

A system designed to save energy

Initiated in 1976, the time change had a precise objective: to reduce energy consumption by aligning the hours of human activity with the periods of sunshine, in particular to limit artificial lighting in the evening. This measure was adopted in the wake of the 1973-1974 oil crisis, which led to a spike in energy prices. Since 1998, the time change has been harmonised throughout the European Union. However, it does not apply to the overseas territories, with the exception of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.

A system called into question

Today, with the evolution of technology, in particular thanks to low-energy light bulbs, the value of the time change is increasingly being questioned. In 2018, the European Commission launched a vast public consultation, to which 84% of European citizens responded in favour of abolishing this system. Of these, 56% were in favour of maintaining summer time permanently.

In France, a similar consultation organised by the National Assembly in 2019 saw 83.7% of participants express themselves in favour of abandoning the time change. In response to this trend, the European Commission proposed a directive to abolish the time change from 2021. However, the Covid-19 crisis and the Brexit negotiations delayed progress on this project, which remains on hold today.

So, although many Europeans would like to see an end to the time change, the measure remains in place for the time being, inviting us once again to adjust our clocks this weekend.