ChatterBank3 mins ago
Daylight Saving Time
9 Answers
In the UK, we switch to British Summer on the last Sunday of March and revert to GMT on the last Sunday of October. if the purpose is 'daylight saving', logically I would have thought, the dates of the time changes should centre around the shortest day which is usually 21st December. However, we revert to GMT some 51-57 days before it and switch to BST some 93-100 days after - indeed the latter is always after the Equinox. Anyone have an explanation?
Look forward to your responses!
Look forward to your responses!
Answers
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by phuquehall. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Can't be sure but I guess it may be an asymetrical change over the year. Probably a graph on the Net somewhere if you search.
IMO we all ought to have radio controlled clocks and regularly set official time so that 'getting out of bed time' is always a set time after dawn. But if one tries it unilaterally one gets out of sync with everyone.
IMO we all ought to have radio controlled clocks and regularly set official time so that 'getting out of bed time' is always a set time after dawn. But if one tries it unilaterally one gets out of sync with everyone.
Another Wiki page http:// en.wiki pedia.o ...savi ng_time _in_Eur ope states
[i]Before 1996, DST ended on the last Sunday in September in most European countries; however in the United Kingdom and Ireland DST ended on the fourth (which some years is not the last) Sunday in October.
In 1996, daylight saving time was harmonized throughout the European Union by Directive 2000/84/EC, which moved the end of DST to the last Sunday in October.[i]
So most European countries, before 1996, agreed with your logic that the time changes should (more or less) centre around the shortest day (given that Sunday is the most convenient day of the week for the change). I cannot find any reason why this was changed by the EU Directive.
[i]Before 1996, DST ended on the last Sunday in September in most European countries; however in the United Kingdom and Ireland DST ended on the fourth (which some years is not the last) Sunday in October.
In 1996, daylight saving time was harmonized throughout the European Union by Directive 2000/84/EC, which moved the end of DST to the last Sunday in October.[i]
So most European countries, before 1996, agreed with your logic that the time changes should (more or less) centre around the shortest day (given that Sunday is the most convenient day of the week for the change). I cannot find any reason why this was changed by the EU Directive.
Hi all and thanks for your responses although i don't feel as if we have cracked it yet.
Kathayn, I agree with you which is why I put the phrase in inverted commas! I nearly put it as a supplementary but i suppse the answer is really that it just became accepted as a phrase without anyone bothering to think about it first. There are many such examples. Thanks anyway.
Kathayn, I agree with you which is why I put the phrase in inverted commas! I nearly put it as a supplementary but i suppse the answer is really that it just became accepted as a phrase without anyone bothering to think about it first. There are many such examples. Thanks anyway.