When will the clock change to daylight saving time in 2023 and in which direction? The changeover will occur on Sunday, March 26, 2023, during the night, and the time will move forward, meaning we will lose an hour when the clock advances from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. Consequently, March 26 will have only 23 hours. However, at the end of October, we will get an extra hour of sleep as there will be 25 hours in the day.
The idea of saving electricity became more important in public discussions during the oil crisis in the 1970s, leading to the introduction of daylight saving time in 1980 to utilize daylight more efficiently. However, it is still unclear if it has resulted in significant energy savings. Time changes have occurred during the First and Second World Wars.
Since the introduction of the daylight saving time in 1980, the last Sunday in March and September was the agreed starting point for summer and winter time. An EU directive in 1996 changed the start of winter time to the last Sunday in October. March 26, 2023, will be the day of the changeover to summer time.
The confusion about whether clocks should be set forward or backward can be simplified with the popular garden furniture mnemonic: "In summer, you put the garden furniture 'in front' of the door, in winter you put it 'back' in the shed."
The time change is a problem for many people as it can disrupt their inner sleep and biorhythms. In a 2018 online survey across the EU, 4.6 million people voted to abolish the time changes, and the EU countries agreed to implement the will of the people by 2021. However, the decision is still pending as countries cannot agree on whether summer or winter time should be considered the standard time.