EcoWatch
Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k Subscribe Subscribe
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Conservation
  • Food + Agriculture
  • Renewables
  • Oceans
  • Policy
  • Insights + Opinion
  • Go Solar Today
      • Top Companies By State
        • California Solar Companies
        • Texas Solar Companies
        • New York Solar Companies
        • Florida Solar Companies
        • See All States
      • Top Incentives By State
        • California Solar Incentives
        • Texas Solar Incentives
        • New York Solar Incentives
        • Florida Solar Incentives
        • See All States
      • Solar Panel Costs By State
        • Solar Panel Costs in California
        • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
        • Solar Panel Costs in New York
        • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
        • See All States
      • Value of Solar by State
        • Is Solar Worth It In California?
        • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
        • Is Solar Worth It New York?
        • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
        • See All States
      • Company Reviews
        • Tesla Solar Review
        • Sunrun Solar Review
        • SunPower Solar Review
        • Vivint Solar Review
        • See All Companies
      • Common Solar Questions
        • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
        • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
        • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
        • Can You Finance Solar?
        • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
        • Payback On Solar Panels?
      • Solar Resources
        • Interactive Solar Calculator
        • Federal Solar Tax Credit
        • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
        • Tesla Solar Roof Review
        • Cheapest Solar Panels
      • Companies Compared
        • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs SunPower
        • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
        • SunPower vs ADT Solar
EcoWatch
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Conservation
  • Food + Agriculture
  • Renewables
  • Oceans
  • Policy
  • Insights + Opinion
  • Go Solar Today
    • Go Solar Today
    • Top Companies By State
      • California Solar Companies
      • Texas Solar Companies
      • New York Solar Companies
      • Florida Solar Companies
      • See All States
    • Top Incentives By State
      • California Solar Incentives
      • Texas Solar Incentives
      • New York Solar Incentives
      • Florida Solar Incentives
      • See All States
    • Solar Panel Costs By State
      • Solar Panel Costs in California
      • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
      • Solar Panel Costs in New York
      • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
      • See All States
    • Value of Solar by State
      • Is Solar Worth It In California?
      • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
      • Is Solar Worth It New York?
      • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
      • See All States
    • Company Reviews
      • Tesla Solar Review
      • Sunrun Solar Review
      • SunPower Solar Review
      • Vivint Solar Review
      • See All Companies
    • Common Solar Questions
      • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
      • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
      • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
      • Can You Finance Solar?
      • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
      • Payback On Solar Panels?
    • Solar Resources
      • Interactive Solar Calculator
      • Federal Solar Tax Credit
      • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
      • Tesla Solar Roof Review
      • Cheapest Solar Panels
    • Companies Compared
      • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs SunPower
      • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
      • SunPower vs ADT Solar

The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k
    EcoWatch
    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 558k Twitter 222k Instagram 52k
    Home Energy

    Should the UK End Winter Daylight Savings Time to Save Energy?

    By: Olivia Rosane
    Published: October 21, 2022
    Edited by Chris McDermott
    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon
    Big Ben clock face in Westminster, London
    A clean energy expert thinks the UK should no longer change its clocks in the winter. Scott E Barbour / The Image Bank / Getty Images
    Why you can trust us

    Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

    The UK is in the midst of an energy crisis that prompted now-former Prime Minister Liz Truss to lift a ban on fracking and expand oil and gas licensing in the North Sea. 

    But a clean energy expert has come forward with a way Britain can reduce energy costs without burning more fossil fuels: getting rid of daylight savings time. 

    “By simply foregoing the winter Daylight Savings Time (DST) in October, we save energy because it is brighter in the evening during winter, so we reduce commercial and residential electrical demand as people leave work earlier, and go home earlier, meaning less lighting and heating is needed,” professor Aoife Foley from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Queen’s University, Belfast, said in a statement. 

    It's almost time for the clocks to go back, but would you like to see an end to #DaylightSavings?

    Find out what our expert @AoifeMFoley has discovered: https://t.co/DldEbcmCEt@QUBMAE | @QubEps | #LoveQUB⏰

    — Queen's University Belfast 🎓 (@QUBelfast) October 18, 2022

    Foley calculated that households could save £1.20 a day and more than £400 a year if Daylight Savings Time were abolished. Currently, energy demand is at its highest in the winter in the evening between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., putting strain on the National Grid. Her calculations did not include gas savings or factor in commercial or industrial energy use, but she said that getting rid of daylight savings would benefit those sectors, too. 

    “[T]ere would be even more significant energy, cost and emissions reductions for hard strapped businesses and the public,” she said. 

    Daylight Savings Time was originally implemented to save energy during wartime, in this case during World War I. It was introduced in 1916 to extend early morning daylight hours. Today, most countries in the European Economic Area change the clocks the last Sundays of October and March. 

    Foley’s proposal comes in the context of another war, this time Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that has reduced energy flow to Europe. In Ireland, EirGrid has said it was possible there could even be blackouts this winter, Independent.ie reported. 

    “We are no longer in an energy crisis in Europe but an energy war and dependent on weather conditions this winter it is very likely we may need to start rationing energy very seriously to avoid bigger energy issues in December and January when gas reserves start to run low,” Foley added. “There is no doubt that by foregoing the daylight savings in winter we would save a lot of energy, reduce our bills and carbon emissions during this energy war, and especially during a cost of living crisis.”

    The continued relevance of turning clocks forwards in spring and backwards in fall has been debated in many countries. In the U.S., the Senate passed legislation ending the practice in March, but similar legislation has yet to be approved by the House, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In the European Union, most citizens support an end to the time change, The Guardian reported. The European Parliament even passed legislation to that effect in 2019, but it has not yet been put in practice. 

    Because of Brexit, the EU’s actions would no longer apply to the UK, which is where Foley’s proposal comes in. However, one difficulty is Ireland, which could end up with two different time zones if either the Republic of Ireland or the UK, to which Northern Ireland belongs, decides to change and the other does not. 

    “It would be great if the UK Government consulted with the Irish Government on an emergency proposal to abolish daylight savings this year,” Foley suggested. “Obviously in Ireland two different time zones would be impossible but Ireland would also make energy and emissions savings and enhance security of supply.”

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Olivia Rosane

      Olivia Rosane is an environmental journalist with a decade’s worth of experience. She has been contributing to EcoWatch since 2018 and has also covered environmental themes for Common Dreams, Atmos, Rewilding, Seattle Met, Treehugger, The Trouble, YES! Magazine and Real Life. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Cambridge and a master’s in Art and Politics from Goldsmiths, University of London.
      Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

      Read More

      Solar Panels to Be Installed on Most New Homes in England as Part of Government’s Net-Zero Goals
      Nearly all newly constructed homes in the United Kingdom will
      By Paige Bennett
      UK Unprepared for Impending Climate ‘Disaster’: Report
      A new report from the United Kingdom’s Climate Change Committee
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      UK Wildfires in 2025 Have Already Surpassed Annual Record
      The total area burnt by wildfires in the United Kingdom
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

      Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

        By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

        Latest Articles

        • It’s Possible to End Global Poverty Without Compromising Climate Goals, New Research Shows
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 13, 2025
        • Global Warming Has Already Made Natural Habitats Unsurvivable for 2% of Amphibians: Study
          by Paige Bennett
          May 13, 2025
        • Nearly a Third of Antibiotics Used by Humans End Up in River Systems Globally Each Year: Study
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 13, 2025
        • Eating More Fiber Could Lower Levels of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’: Study
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 12, 2025
        • Trump Administration Proposes Drastic Cuts to National Park Service
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 12, 2025
        • NOAA Will Stop Tracking Costs of Climate Crisis-Fueled Disasters in Wake of Trump Cuts
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 9, 2025
        • Living Near Golf Courses Linked to Higher Parkinson’s Disease Risk, Possibly From Pesticide Exposure
          by Paige Bennett
          May 9, 2025
        • Birds Form Long-Term Bonds With Non-Relatives Resembling Friendship: Study
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          May 9, 2025
        EcoWatch

        The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

          • Climate Climate
          • Animals Animals
          • Health + Wellness Health + Wellness
          • Insights + Opinion Insights + Opinion
          • Adventure Adventure
          • Oceans Oceans
          • Business Business
          • Solar Solar
          • About EcoWatch
          • Contact EcoWatch
          • EcoWatch Reviews
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Learn About Solar Energy
          • Learn About Deregulated Energy
          • EcoWatch UK
          Follow Us
          Facebook 558k
          Twitter 222k
          Instagram 52k
          Subscribe Subscribe

          Experts for a healthier planet and life.

          Mentioned by:
          Learn more
          • Privacy Policy
          • Terms of Use
          • Cookie Preferences
          • Do Not Sell My Information
          © 2025 EcoWatch. All Rights Reserved.

          Advertiser Disclosure

          Our editorial team is committed to creating independent and objective content focused on helping our readers make informed decisions. To help support these efforts we receive compensation from companies that advertise with us.

          The compensation we receive from these companies may impact how and where products appear on this site. This compensation does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides within our content. We do not include all companies, products or offers that may be available.