Daylight Savings - why?

Author
Discussion

JagLover

43,672 posts

241 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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AJS- said:
Tonight's the night where many of the the most developed parts of the western world in Europe and North America pay their annual homage to the ultimate bureaucratic deceit - the idea that fiddling around with the clocks can create more day light.

Why do we keep doing this?
We are now back on the clocks for our time zone. It is BST which is the artificial invention.

On our correct time zone we now get lighter mornings for a bit and it will be just as dark by the time most of us finish work as it was last week.



McWigglebum4th

32,414 posts

210 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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Jasandjules said:
I don't mind it too much I guess. At least the phones and computers and heating all automatically change so I don't have to go around the house changing the clocks!
my car is back to showing the correct time smile

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

204 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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Surely the sensible option would be to go for GMT+30mins and hold it at that year round.

vx220

2,699 posts

240 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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Was it not made official durin ww1 to minimise coal usage to help the war machine?

Nothing to do with farmers, Scottish or otherwise?

Fairly sure it became official in 1916?

JagLover

43,672 posts

241 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
quotequote all
McWigglebum4th said:
no matter how much you change the clocks you still have exactly the same amount of sunlight
Some people seem to feel if they have BST all year round they will have long sunny evenings in December laugh

groucho

12,134 posts

252 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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Keep the clocks as they are now. GMT!!! Does it really need to be light at 10pm in the summer?

Pints

18,445 posts

200 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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groucho said:
Keep the clocks as they are now. GMT!!! Does it really need to be light at 10pm in the summer?
Does it really need to be light at 3am in the summer?

blue van

50 posts

135 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
quotequote all
Welshbeef said:
Surely the sensible option would be to go for GMT+30mins and hold it at that year round.
+1

JensenA

5,671 posts

236 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
quotequote all
vx220 said:
Was it not made official durin ww1 to minimise coal usage to help the war machine?

Nothing to do with farmers, Scottish or otherwise?

Fairly sure it became official in 1916?
You've googled it just like I did :-). Yup, that seems to be the reason,

groucho

12,134 posts

252 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
quotequote all
Pints said:
groucho said:
Keep the clocks as they are now. GMT!!! Does it really need to be light at 10pm in the summer?
Does it really need to be light at 3am in the summer?
Don't argue!!! biggrin

McWigglebum4th

32,414 posts

210 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
quotequote all
Pints said:
groucho said:
Keep the clocks as they are now. GMT!!! Does it really need to be light at 10pm in the summer?
Does it really need to be light at 3am in the summer?
Where i live it is light at 3am and 10pm in the middle of summer

What do you suggest we do?

gazapc

1,342 posts

166 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
quotequote all
I don't mind daylight savings too much, lighter evenings would be nicer but there is only so much daytime in December to use.

The one retarded thing I can't work out is why it starts at the end of October, just 8 weeks before the solstice, but doesn't change back until the end of March which is 14 weeks after the solstice. If it was spread just 8 weeks either side the clocks would change in mid February and we would gain a whole extra month of light evenings. The Scots then also can't moan as March would be just like October in terms of daylight.

turbobloke

107,388 posts

266 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
quotequote all
McWigglebum4th said:
Pints said:
groucho said:
Keep the clocks as they are now. GMT!!! Does it really need to be light at 10pm in the summer?
Does it really need to be light at 3am in the summer?
Where i live it is light at 3am and 10pm in the middle of summer

What do you suggest we do?
Fix some gaffer tape just over the horizon? That should do it.

McWigglebum4th

32,414 posts

210 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
quotequote all
gazapc said:
I don't mind daylight savings too much, lighter evenings would be nicer but there is only so much daytime in December to use.

The one retarded thing I can't work out is why it starts at the end of October, just 8 weeks before the solstice, but doesn't change back until the end of March which is 14 weeks after the solstice. If it was spread just 8 weeks either side the clocks would change in mid February and we would gain a whole extra month of light evenings. The Scots then also can't moan as March would be just like October in terms of daylight.
One would suggest the vast majority of the moaning comes from south of the border from those who believe that leaving the clocks on british summer time will automatically bring beautiful long warm summer evenings

MarkRSi

5,782 posts

224 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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vx220 said:
Was it not made official durin ww1 to minimise coal usage to help the war machine?

Nothing to do with farmers, Scottish or otherwise?

Fairly sure it became official in 1916?
Seems like that was the original reason. If it was to save lighting/fuel costs later in the day, would it not make more sense to just start work an hour or two earlier? (which is what they were doing anyway??)

Just pick a timezone and stick with it IMO

mini me

1,436 posts

199 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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Random double post an hour out of snych.

Saddle bum

4,211 posts

225 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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Without taking a swipe at anyone, this subject brings forth more uninformed opinion than almost any other.

Daylight Saving is about making the best use of the available daylight, more so during the Winter months.

Economic benefits, enhanced safety,and better well-being (reduced SAD) all come from having lighter evenings, this being the outcome of shifting our clock time in relation to the natural day. GMT+1 in Winter and GMT+2 in summer are Central European time. Most agree that adopting that would benefit the UK, but Scotland has customarily resisted it. As Norway and Sweden use CET, that attitude seems illogical.

98elise

28,086 posts

167 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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I'd much prefer to stay on BST. Lighter evenings are preferable. I don't care how dark mornings are, i'm either getting up or in work.

Going home in the dark is depressing.

McWigglebum4th

32,414 posts

210 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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Saddle bum said:
, but Scotland has customarily resisted it.
Find me where the people of scotland have resisted it



MartG

21,166 posts

210 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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There are good reasons for staying on BST - during the years it was tried road deaths fell by a large percentage, fuel/electricity usage dropped.

See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11188...