Adjustments of 20 and 40 minutes have also been used.US President Joe Biden speaks at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 11, 2022. Throughout history, there have been several variations, like half adjustments (30 minutes) or double adjustment (2 hours).

However, on Lord Howe Island, Australia, clocks are set only 30 minutes forward from LHST (UTC+10:30) to LHDT (UTC+11) during DST. Today clocks are almost always set one hour back or ahead. However, many studies disagree about DST's energy savings, and while some studies show a positive outcome, others do not. Other studies claim that people's health might suffer due to DST changes.ĭST is also used to reduce the amount of energy needed for artificial lighting during the evening hours. Some studies show that DST could lead to fewer road accidents and injuries by supplying more daylight during the hours more people use the roads. The difference in light is most noticeable in the areas at a certain distance from Earth's equator. Some countries use it to make better use of the natural daylight in the evenings. Less than 40% of the countries in the world use DST. At that time, George Vernon Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand, presented a proposal for a 2-hour daylight saving shift. US inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin first proposed the concept of DST in 1784, but modern Daylight Saving Time was first suggested in 1895. However, the town of Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada implemented DST as far back as 1908.ĭST statistics: Past and present use Suggested Earlier When Germany first set the clocks forward on April 30, 1916, it became the first country in the world to use DST on a national level. The proposal is another formal step towards a permanent elimination of DST in the EU and will form the basis of discussions between the EU Ministers to produce a final law repealing Directive 2000/84/EC, the EU's existing DST legislation. On March 26, 2019, the European Parliament voted in favor of backing the EU Committee draft directive to stop the one-hour clock change in the European Union. European Union Ready to Scrap DSTĭaylight Saving Time could soon be a thing of the past in Europe. For this to happen, Congress first has to pass a federal law allowing states to observe DST year-round, because today's law only allows states to forgo DST. However, they need congressional approval to abolish the time change. Several US states have passed bills in favor of permanent DST. Since 2015, more than 200 daylight saving bills and resolutions have been introduced in almost every state across the US, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Proposals to stay on standard time or move to full-time DST appear on the legislative agenda in the United States nearly every clock change. In the Southern Hemisphere (south of the equator) the participating countries usually start the DST period in September-November and end DST in March-April.ĭST 2023: Australia & New Zealand start DST Not without Controversy Where will DST start or end next? Southern HemisphereĪustralia, New Zealand, most of South America, southern Africa Daylight Saving Time usually starts in March-April and ends in September-November when the countries return to standard time, or winter time as it is also known.

Many countries in the Northern Hemisphere (north of the equator) use DST in the summer time, but not all. North America, Central America, Europe, Asia, northern Africa You set your clock forward one hour in the spring when DST starts (= lose 1 hour), and back one hour when DST ends in the fall (= regain 1 hour).ĭaylight savings or daylight saving? Northern Hemisphere “Spring forward, fall back” is one of the little sayings used to remember which way to set your watch. The sculpture is of 'Six Public Clocks' in Canary Wharf, London, U.K.ĭST changes: Dates and local times Clocks Back or Forward? Business Date to Date (exclude holidays)Ĭlocks are set forward 1 hour for DST in the spring.

Daylight savings