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The division of time in Poland into summer and winter has been the subject of many controversies and equally many discussions for years. We were close to finally stopping the clocks on summer time, but as you can see, this idea has been put in a drawer for now.
In 2021, the European Commission recommended that Member States maintain the current regulations until 2026. It is worth adding that already in 2018, after public consultations conducted by the Commission, as many as 84 percent Europeans voted in favor of abolishing the time change system. And after “hearing” the voice of citizens, the EC was supposed to propose abandoning seasonal time changes, but the implementation of changes was prevented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Time change was first introduced in Austria-Hungary during World War I in 1916. In this way, they tried to save on coal consumption in the country. Then, a similar solution was chosen by, among others: Russia, USA and Great Britain.
Generally, the time change is intended to make better use of daylight. In the autumn and winter, the days are finally shorter, but it must be remembered that the time shortens “on both sides” – the sun rises later and sets earlier. Turning back the clocks allows us to enjoy the daylight longer without changing our habits regarding the time we get up.
Does changing the time actually do anything?
Smartphones, decoders and watches in newer cars automatically change the time Source: Shutterstock
Yes, but to be sure? After all, if the sun currently sets at 17:30, after the time change it will set at 16:30. Therefore, we will spend most of the afternoon in the dark.
And this is where the first and main controversy related to the change to winter time really appears. It serves primarily early birds. If someone wakes up before seven in the morning, they will stretch their legs before the sun appears, whereas currently, during winter time, they will already be on the horizon. Meaning that, if we don’t want to spend most of the day in darkness outside, we should go to bed earlier, to maximize the potential of this solution.
Thanks to the change to winter time, we can sleep longer, but do we need it? Source: Shutterstock
However, it must be remembered that nowadays electricity is no longer as difficult to access as it was over a hundred years ago, when Austria-Hungary decided on such a solution. Defenders of the change to winter time argue that this means savings on electricity, but these are also debatable.
In the past, getting up just before dawn was used to maximize work potential in factories where it was necessary to operate in daylight. Nowadays, however, working and waking hours are much more flexible. A large part of Poles work in the afternoons, or finish work late, and only in the evening do they really have free time. More and more people work remotely, so you don’t have to get up earlier to get to work. Which means that in such cases there are no savings on electricity, a even an increase in consumption, because the light is on for an hour longer.
In short, the discussion on this topic will continue, because the change to winter time is beneficial for some people, but not necessarily for others. Will we ever see watches stop at one “working” mode and stop changing every six months? Well, let’s hope we find out soon.
If you are looking for a watch that does not require changing the time, check out the offers of popular smartwatches and sports bands:
