Last updated on March 9, 2021
The time change, the beginning of "winter time" 2020, is due today. Do you set the clock forward or back? Is it allowed to sleep longer or is the night getting shorter? Which devices do I have to change the clocks on and how do I do it on the mobile phone? Here is a quick answer to those questions.
Next weekend, the second of the two time changes 2020 will take place in the night from Saturday to Sunday. As every year, “winter time” (normal time, standard time) will be heralded in 2020 on the last Sunday in October at 3:00 am CET. The clock will then be reset . That means there is an extra hour of sleep on Sunday night . The sleep hour will (presumably) only be "removed" on March 28, 2021, when the clock is then switched back to summer time.
Time change – end of summer time: Date 2020
- The time change from summer to winter time 2020 will take place in the night from Saturday, October 24th to Sunday, October 25th, 2020.
- Then the clock is set back from 3 o'clock to 2 o'clock .
- When changing from summer time to "winter time", the night is extended by one hour.
This graphic explains it very simply: The clock was put forward on March 29, 2020 (summer time, yellow), on October 25, 2020 it will be set back again (winter time, blue):
Time change: List of all clocks and devices that need to be set
Here is an overview of clocks or technical devices with an integrated clock that may have to be changed manually when changing the time. You can either open this article on your mobile phone and work through all the points or download and print out this checklist as a PDF file here .
living room
- TV
- Receiver
- Blu-ray / DVD player
- Weather station
- Wall clock
kitchen
- oven
- microwave
- Coffee machine
- Wall clock
Electronic devices, miscellaneous
- Wrist watch / pocket watch
- MP3 player
- radio
- stereo system
- Answering machine
- home phone
- fax
- Alarm clock
- Digital camera
- camcorder
- Fitness tracker, heart rate monitor
- Medical devices (e.g. blood pressure monitor)
House technic
- thermostat
- heater
- Timer
- Alarm system
- motion detector
- Lighting (time-controlled systems)
- Garden irrigation (time-controlled systems)
mobility
- Car radio
- Motorcycle (clock)
- Navigation systems
- Bike computer
- Fitness tracker, heart rate monitor
Time change on the mobile phone and on the computer
Smartphone and PC users don't have to worry about the time change: As a rule, the digital clocks from Android, iOS and Windows change automatically – provided the correct setting has been selected.
Polls: That's what Germans think about the time change
According to our GIGA survey, around 80 percent find that the time change is rather pointless, unnecessary or even stressful for your health. Only 20% see advantages in the changeover. Many complain of restlessness and sleep problems, and are even irritable after the time change. At Statista, too, there is a similar picture of the (in) sense of the time change. What do you think about that?
What do you think of the time change?
The clock will be changed again on March 29th. Do you think the change makes sense?
The ZDF Politbarometer asked the following question in a survey: "If the time change is abolished, would you like daylight saving time all year round or winter time all year round?" The answers show that the majority of those questioned are in favor of permanently maintaining daylight saving time – should the time change be abolished will.
Time change: what's that good for?
The colloquial "winter time" is actually the "normal time". In March, the clock will be switched to Central European Summer Time to save energy costs. Nowadays the time change is criticized in many places as unnecessary. The aim when the time change was introduced was to make better use of the bright daylight in order to save energy costs and resources for the generation of artificial light. In addition, you can sleep better in the additional hour in the dark. The reasons for the time change were in particular the 1973 and 1979/1980 oil crises.
The time was first changed during the First World War on April 30, 1916 in the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and Great Britain. This should increase the time with usable daylight. However, after the end of the First World War, the first phase of the clock change was suspended. It was not until 1975 that most of the European Community countries followed suit and introduced daylight saving time. In 1977 the plans were implemented. Here, too, a better use of energy was in the foreground. Since 1996, the clock has been set uniformly in the EU . Germany is one of over 60 countries that set the clock forward or backward. However, the time change is often criticized and perceived as nonsensical. Many no longer see the time change as an opportunity to save energy and see the time change as a historical holdover.
EU: Time change should (actually) be abolished
According to an EU-wide survey on the time change carried out in 2018, the EU's abolition was put to the test. In fact , the majority of the EU Parliament then voted in favor of abolishing the time change from 2021. However, it is uncertain whether the date will be met. The member states of the EU can decide for themselves whether they want to live permanently in summer or winter time if the time change is abolished. According to the latest information, it was due to the "agreements between the member states". Ultimately, it should be prevented that a patchwork of different time zones in Europe is created.
when are the clocks adjusted? Sayings to remember – forward or backward?
If you are faced with the question "When will the clock be changed?" Every six months, there are some donkey bridges and memorabilia with which you can remember whether it goes an hour forward or backward:
- In summer the clock is advanced (both with "o"), in winter behind.
- In summer, cafés put tables “in front of” the door. In winter they are put “back” in the shop.
- In winter there are minus temperatures, so the clock is set back. In summer, when the temperature is above zero, the time is set.
- In summer you can take a step BEFORE outside as it is warmer. In winter you take a step back into the home as it gets colder again.
Source: giga.de
