Semi-annual dedusting of the ticket: here's a topic that comes up topical every 6 months. I published this post to the transition to daylight saving time, in March. But I come away to dust him off.
I've been on summer time. Why, how, since when. It's crazy that: you're never too curious! I fell all logically on wikipedia first. We learn a lot of things, as usual. Long live Wikipedia!
So, on Wiki, we learn that: (and I quote):
In April 1784, Benjamin Franklin mentions for the first time in the french newspaper of Paris the possibility of shift schedules in order to save energy. The idea remains however unanswered and only was revived until 1907 by the British William Willet who started a campaign against "the waste of light" and leading to the establishment in 1916 by the British Parliament of the British Standard Time, an hour on the Greenwich Meridian time ahead. The idea was taken up by the Ireland and the Italy, and most of the European countries after the war. In Germany, between 1947 and 1949, it introduced even a Hochsommerzeit where the watches were shifted to a second time between 11 May and 29 June.
In France, summer time was introduced in 1916 and abandoned in 1946 with some confusion between free zone and occupied during the Occupation (the occupied area being the German hour). It's in 1976 following the oil shock of 1973 that it has reinstated DST. The goal was to make energy savings by reducing the need of lighting in the evening. To complete wiki and talk specifically "Swiss", we can read on the site of metrology and Swiss certification that summer time has existed in Switzerland in 1941 and 1942, then as early as 1981. Currently, she begins the last Sunday in March to finish the last Sunday in October. Switzerland is aligned on the EU.
In Europe, summer time begins the last Sunday in March. Elsewhere, in the United States for example, it begins the 1st Sunday in April. This is.
But why so this summer time? To save energy, so: to harmonise periods where it is day and the ones where people work… I site always wiki: A study conducted jointly by the Department of industry, EDF and the Agency of environment and control of energy (ADEME) estimated that in 1996 the economy of electricity (lighting position) was about 1.3 TWh (or approximately 293 000 toe in primary energy equivalence). According to ADEME, the position of the power consumption in lighting has slightly changed in recent years and the energy saved in 2003 would be always 1.3 Twh, or 0.28% of domestic electricity consumption and 4% of the total consumption of light. So it saves electricity. Ok!… But these savings are offset by additional costs that it engenders? Opponents of summer time ensure in any case heating needs increased in the spring morning cancels the savings in lighting.
Here's a report on the website of the french Senate that summarizes the arguments for and against summer time. I quote the conclusions:
It is apparent from all of this study that the announced or expected mid-year change of time benefits are not significant enough to compensate for the disadvantages experienced by populations.
Accordingly, the logic leads to wish the abandonment of this artificial device and return to a more natural course of time.
The choice of the Delegation for the European Union would be maintaining time GMT + 1 all year, which has the advantage to be reconciled with the European global schedule and limit activities on solar time offset.
Interesting, no? 😉
And then do a search on DST on google: there are green and not ripe…
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