Daylight Saving Time Explained: What It Is & How to Remember the Change
What is Daylight Saving Time?
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the practice of moving clocks forward by one hour during the warmer months and moving them back again in the cooler months. The goal is to make better use of natural daylight, so there is more daylight in the evening hours during summer and more daylight in the morning during winter.
Why Do Clocks Change?
The main purpose of DST is to optimize the use of daylight and save energy by shifting one hour of daylight from morning to evening in the summer months. By moving clocks forward in the spring and back in the fall, people can benefit from extended evening daylight and, purportedly, reduced energy consumption.
Overview of Daylight Saving Time start and end dates
Here is a table with the Daylight Saving Time start and end dates for the next five years, for the United States, European Union, and United Kingdom. Dates are based on established rules:
US: Clocks forward at 2 a.m. local time, second Sunday in March; back at 2 a.m., first Sunday in November.
EU & UK: Clocks forward at 1 a.m. UTC, last Sunday in March; back at 1 a.m. UTC, last Sunday in October.
| Year | US Start | US End | EU Start | EU End | UK Start | UK End |
| 2025 | Mar 9 | Nov 2 | Mar 30 | Oct 26 | Mar 30 | Oct 26 |
| 2026 | Mar 8 | Nov 1 | Mar 29 | Oct 25 | Mar 29 | Oct 25 |
| 2027 | Mar 14 | Nov 7 | Mar 28 | Oct 31 | Mar 28 | Oct 31 |
| 2028 | Mar 12 | Nov 5 | Mar 26 | Oct 29 | Mar 26 | Oct 29 |
| 2029 | Mar 11 | Nov 4 | Mar 25 | Oct 28 | Mar 25 | Oct 28 |
Easy Ways to Remember the Change
Garden Furniture Rule: Put your garden furniture outside in spring (clocks move forward), and bring it back inside in autumn (clocks move back).
2-3-2 Rule: In spring, at 2:00 a.m., clocks are set to 3:00 a.m. In autumn, at 3:00 a.m., clocks revert to 2:00 a.m.
Hassle-Free Time Management
Changing clocks manually can be labor-intensive and costly, especially for businesses with many wall clocks or systems in hard-to-reach places. MOBATIME offers synchronized clock solutions that automatically adjust to DST changes. Using master clocks or time servers synchronized by GNSS systems ensures that all connected clocks and IT networks always display the correct time—no manual intervention required.
Contact us to learn more about automated, maintenance-free timekeeping and how it can improve productivity and reduce maintenance costs.
