Every year it leads to debates: the time change. It’s about much more than “just” changing the clocks.
Kassel – It will soon be that time again: On October 30, the clocks will be turned back one hour. But just changing the clock to winter time is not enough.
In addition to the positive effect that you can sleep an hour longer on the night of the last Sunday in October, there are also negative effects. Especially against the background of the acute energy crisis, it can quickly become expensive.
Time change 2022: The idea of saving energy doesn’t quite work
1. The time change was originally introduced to save energy. However, it has turned out that this is not the case, as the Federal Environment Agency writes. The reason for this is that there is more heating in the morning.
Saving energy is likely to be a priority for many this year. If you find the biggest power guzzlers in the household, you can easily save energy and money.
Facts about the time change: If you don’t set the right time, heating will be expensive
2. Due to the time change in 2022, many people’s biorhythms will lose their step. But electrical devices are also affected by the changeover, as the German Liquid Gas Association writes. The changeover can cause the heater to get out of step.
This is mainly about the so-called “night setback”. The heating usually has to be switched manually to winter time so that it stays in the right cycle. If this change does not take place, heating will be one hour too much in the morning and one hour too little in the evening, as the German Association for Liquid Gas eV points out. In many cases, using the function can save energy and money, which is why it makes sense to check the heating system.
Time change in October: There is no “winter time”.
3. It is popularly said that there is a changeover to the so-called winter time, but this is actually not correct. It is correct to say that daylight saving time is reset to “normal time”.
4. The conversion of clocks in Germany is not really well received, as a Forsa survey shows. The study commissioned by the health insurance company DAK-Gesundheit comes to the conclusion that only 23 percent of the population consider the time change to be a good thing.
More work due to time change: union gives tips
5. Those who have to work the night of the changeover can be disadvantaged by the changeover. If there are no extra regulations from the employer, you have to work an hour longer, as the trade union IG Metall informs. But: “If employees have to work an hour longer, this must also be remunerated,” writes the employee representatives of the metal and electrical industry.
6. Changing the clocks will also pose a particular challenge for Deutsche Bahn in 2022. In some cases, trains and S-Bahn trains have to run twice, which means increased personnel costs. “The prerequisite for a smooth process is the elaborate preparation of a special timetable,” writes Deutsche Bahn .
Time change 2022: Studies establish a connection to accident statistics
7. Changing the clocks also affects people’s social behavior, as the German Press Agency writes. In the USA, researchers led by the scientist Eti Ben Simon have taken a closer look at the connection between the time change and donation behavior.
The test persons donated around ten percent less in the week after the changeover to winter time. “A decline that is not observed in countries that do not change their clocks,” says Eti Ben Simon, classifying the result.
8. The time change has already been abolished here:
- Egypt
- Argentina
- Belarus
- Brazil
- China
- Namibia
- India
- Iceland
- Japan
- Russia
- South Africa
- Turkey
- Source: Morgenpost.de
Time change and the EU: There is no end in sight for the time being
9. In 2019, the EU Parliament proposed that the time change should be abolished. However, given the complexity, it seems unlikely that this will happen in the near future. One fear is that Europe could become a temporal patchwork quilt.
10. Studies on car accidents and medical errors show that the time change also has negative effects on people. The number of fatal car accidents increases, especially after the changeover in the spring. According to a study, after both changes there is an increase in treatment errors, as the medical journal writes. According to the study cited, there was a non-significant increase of 5 percent after the changeover to winter time. According to the study, after the changeover in the spring, there was an increase of around 18 percent. (Lucas Maier)
