HOUSEHOLDS could save hundreds of pounds a year on gas and electricity bills if the clocks didn’t go back, according to an academic.
Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, October 29, meaning the clocks go back one hour at 2am.
APDaylight savings time is adding to household energy bills, according to academics[/caption]
When the clocks go back, the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
The good news is, that as we transition from BST to GMT, we will be gaining one hour extra of sleep.
The idea of moving the clocks back is to make better use of daylight.
But academics at Queen’s University Belfast have argued that the average household could save £1.20 a day on electricity if the clocks were not put back in October.
This is because it would reduce demand by up to 10 per cent during the evenings, according to professor Aoife Foley.
She said: “We [would] reduce commercial and residential electrical demand as people leave work earlier, and go home earlier, meaning less lighting and heating is needed.”
During the winter, evening energy demand peaks between 5pm and 7pm, which can cause the National Grid to struggle.
The calculations didn’t factor in gas usage or electricity used by businesses.
Doing so would make the potential energy savings “even more significant”, according to Ms Foley.
Tara Flynn, co-founder of Choosewisely.co.uk, said; “When the clocks go back it can indirectly contribute to higher energy consumption for several reasons.
“The shift in time can disrupt daily routines, leading to changes in when people wake up, go to work or school, and return home.
“These shifts can affect energy consumption patterns, potentially causing appliances and heating systems to operate during higher-rate, peak-demand periods, increasing overall energy costs.
“The darker evenings mean people tend to turn their lights on earlier and the colder temperatures often accompany the end of Daylight Saving and households turn up the thermostat to stay warm.
“This results in increased heating costs as heaters are on for longer periods to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature.
“With the evenings being darker earlier, people also tend to spend more time indoors and engage in fewer outdoor activities leading to more energy use for entertainment and electronic devices, such as televisions, computers, and game consoles.”
The daylight savings plan was first proposed by builder Willem Willet in 1907 and then introduced in 1916 as a wartime effort to reduce energy demand.
Since 2002, most countries in the European Economic Area have adjusted their clocks on the last Sunday in March and October.
Yet the European Union has considered axing daylight saving time for years as a means of saving energy.
Critics of scrapping it are concerned about road traffic collisions and it would cause time zone issues between the UK and Ireland.
How can I cut my energy bills?
If you turn your boiler’s flow temperature down as well as any thermostatic radiator valves in some rooms – you could save around £180 annually on your energy bills.
A couple managed to cut £400 off their EDF Energy bill by turning off their immersion heater.
Topping up loft insulation and switching to a smart meter can bring a household a further £230 worth of annual savings, according to Nesta.
It is also important to ensure that when your boiler’s running there’s no draught.
Ventilation is good for health and air quality but it’s the first place where heat will escape.
If there’s a draught, grab a draught excluder and plug the gap.
You should also ensure your windows are closed before the sun sets.
Consider what rooms in your home need heating.
You won’t be using each one 24/7 so make sure the heating is off in any rooms that aren’t occupied.
There is also a list of other common boiler problems we’ve rounded up that could be pumping up your bills.
A noisy boiler could also indicate that your water pressure is low or there’s a pump failure.
If you spot rust on your boiler then it could mean you’re paying more than you need to on using your appliance.
Although rust itself does not cause issues, it could be a sign that there is a leak – which indicates there is a problem with your boiler.
It can also upset the temperature balance in your boiler, making it run less efficiently and ramping up costs.