As the clocks go back bringing light mornings and dark afternoons, the campaign to extend British Summer Time is gaining momentum.
Last week, the House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee heard evidence about the electricity and carbon emissions that could be saved by putting the clocks forward by an hour in winter (GMT+1) and two hours in the summer (GMT+2).
According to experts from Cambridge University addressing the Committee this week, making the change could save up to 447,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
The measure could also flatten peak demand, making it easier for the UK to meet more of its power needs from renewables, says the National Grid.
Other organisations have joined in the fray saying the move could boost sports activities during the winter months and encourage tourism.
And in what could be the most significant development, the National Farmers’ Union Scotland, which has traditionally resisted the move, has signalled that it would be willing to support the move if it benefits the whole country.
A report from the Policy Studies Institute (PSI) at the University of Westminster, meanwhile, says the change would mean an increase the number of daylight hours for Scotland, boosting the economy and saving lives on the road.
“There is a real head of steam building up behind this proposal in Parliament now,” says Committee chair Tim Yeo. “The cost of implementing the change would be small compared with the cost of new energy saving technologies – and the Government could in fact be saving as much as £35 million.”
The a private members bill introduced by Rebecca Harris will come before Parliament in December for a vote and Yeo is calling on the Government to launch a full-scale trial.