Time change 2023: Daylight saving time will apply from March 26th – you have to take that into account

• The time change from winter to summer time 2023 will take place in the night from Saturday, March 25th, to Sunday, March 26th, 2023.
• Am 26. At 2:00 a.m. on March 30, the clocks go forward one hour to 3:00 a.m.
• By the way: Daylight saving time ends on the night of October 29, 2023.

The daylight saving time change will take place on March 26, 2023

This year will be on the night of Saturday, March 25 to Sunday March 26, 2023 the clocks in Germany switched to daylight saving time. The clocks are set at 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.

That means you lose an hour that night and get an hour less sleep. At the same time, with the changeover to summer time, it is light longer, but it also stays dark longer.

Does the clock go forward or backward? You’ll remember it with this mnemonic

This example is often used as a reminder: In the summer, the garden furniture before put the house on the terrace, so the clock must presented become.

In winter, on the other hand, you put the garden furniture return in the basement or in the shed, the clock has to do the same deferred become.

More mnemonics:

• In the summer they go temperatures plus – that’s why we turn the clocks forward one hour (+1), in winter the temperatures drop – that’s why we turn the clocks back one hour (-1).
• In English it means: “spring forward, fall back”. That means “spring forward, autumn back” – but also: “jump forward, fall back”.

Summer time 2023 begins: Most clocks change automatically

The time change on March 26 is usually not a big effort: From a purely technical point of view, the time change is unproblematic. Radio clocks and the television set change over automatically. The atomic clocks of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt in Braunschweig are the clocks that keep time in Germany. The signals are transmitted via transmitters, through which the radio clocks automatically adapt to the time change. But be careful with analogue clocks: You have to change them yourself.

What you need to know about your smartphone

In the case of smartphones, the changeover is carried out without any action being taken, provided the corresponding function is not deactivated. You can check this with the following activation path:

• iPhone: Open Settings, select “General” and then “Date & Time”, activate “Set automatically”.
• Android: Open settings, select “Date & time”, “Automatic Activate date/time”.
• Windows Phone: Open settings, select “Date and time” and then “Time”, activate “Automatic time change”.

Wasn’t there a discussion about abolishing the time change?

According to the will of the EU Parliament, in March 2021 turned the clock for the last time become. However, their abolition has not yet been finally settled.

So far, the EU member states have not yet agreed on a common approach. This is considered important to avoid a patchwork of different times.

A promising initiative to really abolish the time change is currently not in sight. The presidency of the EU countries – the Czech Republic is currently in charge – has not put the issue on the agenda.

The necessary coordination among the member states is still a long time coming. According to the EU Commission, “the ball is in the Member States’ court”. However, the 27 countries are arguing about how exactly the elimination of the time change should be implemented. And without agreement, the whole project can even fail. In the course of the debates, it became clear that some EU countries – such as Portugal – are fundamentally towards the end of the time change.

What would change if the time didn’t change?

The consequences of any change in the status quo would indeed be significant. There are three time zones in the EU, the largest of which is Central European Time, stretching from Spain to Poland. With permanent summer time, it would not be light until morning in winter in the west – but also in the north-west – of the continent. In Vigo on the Spanish Atlantic coast the sun would not rise until 10.01 a.m. on December 21, in Brest in French Brittany at 10.07 a.m. and in North German Emden at 09.45 a.m.

If winter were to last, it would get dark an hour earlier than usual in the summer, and not only in the beer garden or in the beach bar. The sun would also rise extremely early in the east of the EU: in Bialystok in Poland that would be on June 21 at 3:01 a.m., in Warsaw at 3:15 a.m. and in Berlin at 3:44 a.m.

Experts are against the permanent introduction of daylight saving time

The German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine advocates maintaining normal time – i.e. winter time. Daylight, and in particular the blue component of sunlight, is the “main timer” for the internal human clock and is decisive for the wake-sleep rhythm. According to the experts, all this is best ensured by the winter period.

By switching to summer time, however, there is a risk of a lack of sleep, which leads to loss of concentration and performance as well as more accidents. The German Teachers’ Association also fears health risks for students in the event of a permanent switch to summer time.

Time change – why does it even exist?

Actually, energy should be saved…

Since 1996, clocks have changed in the European Union in March and October. Summer time has existed in Germany since 1980. Originally, energy was to be saved thanks to better use of daylight.

In fact, there is no evidence that the time change saves any significant amount of energy. The Federal Environment Agency, for example, argues: “Due to the time change in summer, the light is actually switched on less often in the evening – in spring and autumn, however, more heating is also used in the morning hours. That cancels each other out.”

The Office for Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag comes to the conclusion that “at best only very small energy savings can be achieved”. An evaluation of studies from different countries in 2016 revealed possible changes in the areas of electricity consumption and space heating of no more than one percent.

A survey of around 700 companies and associations in the German energy industry did not produce any different results.

In addition, many people complain about sleep problems, especially in the first few days after the time change.

More on the topic: The best tips against mini-jetlag after the time change