On the night of Saturday, March 26 to Sunday, March 27, daylight saving time begins, so clocks must be advanced one hour. That is, at 02:00 in the morning it will be 03:00, thus complying with the Community Directive that governs the so-called "Time Change" and that affects all member countries of the European Union.
The "Time Change" began to become widespread, although unevenly, from 1974, when the first oil crisis occurred and some countries decided to advance their clocks to better take advantage of sunlight and thus consume less electricity in lighting. It has been applied as a directive since 1981 and has been renewed successively every four years.
Since the approval of the Ninth Directive, by the European Parliament and Council of the Union, in January 2001, this change has been applied indefinitely. This Directive is incorporated into the Spanish legal system by Royal Decree 236/2002, of March 1.
Positive effects
The consecration of the measure is supported by the conclusions of a study on its scope and effects carried out by order of the European Commission and presented to Parliament in 1999.
According to this study, this measure has positive impacts, not only on savings, but on other sectors such as transport, communications, road safety, working conditions and lifestyles, health, tourism or leisure.
Potential energy savings
According to estimates by the Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving (IDAE), a Public Business Entity of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, the potential for savings in lighting in our country, due to the time change, can represent 5 percent of electricity consumption in lighting, equivalent to about 300 million euros. Of that amount, 90 million would correspond to the potential of Spanish households, which represents a saving of 6 euros per household, while the other 210 million euros would be saved in tertiary buildings and in industry.
To reach this potential for savings, however, the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce recommends that citizens carry out responsible behavior at home, when dispensing with artificial lighting when it is not necessary, as well as using energy-saving technologies in lighting. It is also recommended to contribute to energy saving throughout the year by making intelligent use of lighting in homes, as this can save up to 100 euros per year, as well as avoid polluting emissions into the atmosphere.
