Solar time is back: here's when to move the hands and other curiosities

This weekend, between Saturday 28 October and Sunday 29 October, precisely at 3.00 am, Italy is preparing to return to solar time. This means that the clock will have to be moved back an hour, giving us an extra hour of sleep. But solar time brings far more significant advantages than you might imagine.

Standard time, what to know

Standard time is a system of time regulation that aims to make the most of sunlight during seasons when the days are shorter. The main purpose is save electricity taking advantage of natural sunlight and lasts about five months.

During the seven months of summer time, Italy, in fact, recorded a notable reduction in energy consumption, with a saving of 370 million kilowatt hours. This figure is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of approximately 140.000 households. Such savings amounts to approximately 90 million euros. These data were released by Terna, the managing body of the Italian electricity system, which also highlighted the environmental benefits of this initiative. The lower electricity consumption helped prevent the emission of approximately 180.000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, demonstrating the positive impact on the environment.

Looking to the future, according to the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment, in 2023 the average cost per kilowatt hour for the "typical domestic customer under protection" during the summer time period, which runs from Sunday 26 March to Sunday 29 October, it stood at approximately 24,5 euro cents before taxes.

Other interesting data

Un interesting fact emerges from Terna's analysis, which compared the period from 2004 to 2023: summer time made it possible to save a total of around 11,3 billion kilowatt hours in Italy, translating into economic savings of around 2,1 billion euros per the citizens. In other words, solar time is not just a clock setting, but a significant contribution to energy saving and environmental protection. Its importance goes far beyond simply restoring standard time, positively impacting the entire nation.

Standard time is a practice adopted in many countries to make the most of natural light during the winter season, with the aim of saving energy and reducing emissions greenhouse gases. The change between summer time and solar time occurs twice a year to adapt the time to the seasons and variations in the length of the days.