Clocks to go back one hour this weekend as Daylight Saving Time ends

The clocks will go back one hour for Spaniards at 3am on October 27, ending daylight saving time and giving everyone an extra hour in bed on the night of Saturday to Sunday.

The clocks change twice a year across Europe, normally on the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October, as a way to make the most of natural daylight. It is also, theoretically, to reduce energy consumption, although this has been disputed and some people argue that the disruptions are greater than the benefits. Studies analyzed by the European Commission suggest marginal savings of 0.5% to 2.5% in electricity usage.

The changes follow guidelines from a EU directive, but the European Parliament has now backed a Commission initiative to end the practice. In principle, March 31 was meant to be the last time the clocks changed in the European Union, but the EU parliament asked to delay the move until 2021. Under the draft law backed by the parliament, member states have until April 2020 to decide whether to stay on summer or winter time.