ieExplains: When do the clocks change and why must I still do this every year?

The clocks will fall back by one hour at 2amon October 26.

Thanks to Daylight Saving Time (DST), we are once again approaching the time of the year when the clocks change and we all try to work out whether this means we're about to lose or gain an hour of sleep.

While the European Union (EU) voted in 2019 to end the practice, EU institutions have not yet made the decision official, despite repeated calls for a final proposal on the matter by MEPs from various member states, including Ireland.

In any event, here's what you need to know about when and why the clocks are going to change, again.

So when do the clocks change?

The clocks will fall back by one hour at 2am on the last Sunday of October, October 26.

The clocks previously moved forward by one hour at 1am on the final Sunday of March, March 30.

Will I have to change the time on my phone?

Thankfully, it being the year 2025, smart devices like our phones, tablets, and laptops will update their time automatically.

However, non-smart devices such as ovens, cookers, car clocks and clocks with hands still need to be updated manually.

Why do we have to do this?

Originally, the rationale for DST was that by shifting an hour of daylight from the morning (when most of us are still sleeping) to the evening (when we’re out and about), people would have time can enjoy more outdoor activities after finishing work. It is a common misconception that the practice was introduced solely to benefit farmers.

In recent decades, proponents of the practice have touted the benefits of shifting daylight onto the evenings during the spring, thus conserving energy. This benefit is debated, however.

What other countries have to do this?

More than one-third of all countries on earth observe DST, though some states, like Canada, only observe it in certain regions.

Many countries used to follow the practice, but no longer do so. 

The EU first harmonised seasonal time changes in the 1980s to ensure co-ordination among members of the EU's single-market. 

Most countries in Europe still observe the practice, though some, including Iceland, Belarus, Turkey, and Russia, do not.

I thought the EU voted to get rid of it?

It did. On March 26, 2019, the European Parliament voted in favour of removing DST permanently by the year 2021.

This decision was based in large part on an EU-wide survey, in which the vast majority of the nearly 5m respondents who took part stated that they would like the practice to end. 

Under the draft directive, EU states would have been able to choose whether to remain on "permanent summer" or "permanent winter" time.

This has not happened just yet.

Why?

The vote and survey were not final, and the issue was supposed to be discussed with each member state before becoming law across the EU.

Unfortunately, the onset of the covid-19 pandemic saw the status of DST drop completely off the EU's agenda. And discussions on the matter haven't really resumed at European Council level, despite annual calls from many MEPs - including Ireland's Seán Kelly and Cynthia Ní Mhurchú - for the elimination of DST.

This coming Thursday, October 23, MEPs are set to press the Commission and the Danish EU Presidency to explain what is blocking progress and to outline a roadmap for breaking the deadlock.

Ireland's position also poses something of a wrinkle as regards the scrapping of DST in that, if we were to join other EU member states in ending the practice, the Republic of Ireland would end up being in a different time zone to Northern Ireland for part of the year.

So, for now at least, DST will remain a part of our lives. See you in six months.