Time change: Could permanent winter time save electricity costs?
Winter time is so-called normal time. However, does a year-round winter time really bring added value to the Swiss economy? What energy costs does the time changeover save us? And: What effects does the changeover from summer to winter time have on health?
"The most positive aspect of the time change to daylight saving time is the more attractive leisure time in the evening due to more daylight hours," says Robert Tichler from the Energy Institute Linz. Similar to Austria, Switzerland is estimated to save around 50 million euros in energy costs over the six months of summer time.
Whereby the expert speaks of savings in fuel and electricity costs. If we were to extend summer time to the entire year, the gain in prosperity would be over 500 million euros. However, this figure is relative.
Energetic effects
Last year, the Energy Institute of the University of Linz calculated the cost savings for the first time for energy and non-energy effects together. The result: Compared with permanent winter time, the switch to summer time brings a slight cost saving for households and for the national economy.
"Additional daylight hours in summer save each household 0.45 percent in electricity costs," says Robert Tichler of the Energy Institute. But that gain is muted because people use more fuel or electricity for fans during additional daylight hours. "The non-energy effects are much larger than those of electricity and energy costs," Tichler says.
In the right biorhythm
Many studies on the effects of the time changeover on biorhythms and sleep disorders show that in the weeks following the changeover, work performance drops and the risk of traffic accidents increases: The Linz researchers put the resulting costs at 40 million euros per year for Upper Austria; extrapolated to Austria, that's 240 million euros.
Keeping daylight saving time would therefore multiply the good effects of the changeover - also because the negative effects caused by the time changeover twice a year would be eliminated. Finally, the quality of life would also be increased.
