The outgoing European Commission president last year promised that spring 2019 would be the last time the whole of Europe would have to alter their watches for the bi-annual time change. But now the soonest countries will get around to deciding whether to scrap the change will be 2021, after some capitals complained Juncker’s bid was too much, too soon, without a proper impact assessment.[...]
For many Europeans, the bi-annual clock change is an irritation in spring when it means a shorter night, and a welcome reprieve come the winter season when it means an extra hour in bed. But for others — especially in Germany, where opposition is high — it is a pointless switch that disrupts sleep, upends farming regimes and makes the streets more dangerous. It also presents an administrative challenge: Staff at Germany’s rail giant Deutsche Bahn will spend the weekend switching 120,000 clocks back at thousands of stations across the country. [...]
A study by the Bundestag’s Office of Technology Assessment in 2016 found a decrease of less than 0.8 percent in annual power consumption from lighting. But there were no significant changes from heating. Increasing use of energy-efficient lightbulbs mean they use less energy anyway, further undermining energy saving claims.
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