Have You Noticed The Reduction In Daylight Hours Yet ?

[Bottesford]

Ah I love the lack of real night in June! Feels so magical and unusual. We were completely starved of it this year with the constant cloud & rain.

I do actually like the short days of December for the contrast - a constant summer would be no good. I'd just like to cut out say November & January daylight wise. A longer time spent in light and a more rapid change in the dark season would be good. I'd actually like Iceland's extremes (so even longer/shorter days) but with some of the darker months replaced by 'middle' months. Same goes for temperature - a longer warm to average period but a shorter but more extreme cold season.

Since I cannot control the Earth's orbit then this shall not happen!

[fUnKy]

Add me to the "not fussed" list. The same goes for weather, it doesnt effect my mood either. I tend to find the shorter days more "atmospheric", if you like. I, too, tend to be more alert and active in the darker/colder months. I enjoy the summer as much as the next man but there's something about an almost lack of real "night" in mid June that doesn't sit right with me.

Makes me want to watch top class Scandanavian drama and and walk around the house in a loin cloth, wrapped in reindeer fir with a couple of horns stuck to my head. Magical!

I was being serious but also, I love going out on a crisp, clear, autumn winters night. The sky is just lit up with stars with none of that heat haze getting in the way! been fascinated with that since i was kid!

Edited October 23, 2012 by fUnKy

[Aaron]

Only recently have I begun to notice how amazingly clear the stars are on clear, cold nights again. One particular night in September I was in absolute awe by the sheer amount of stars that were completely visible and bright. Definitely not possible in any other type of setup in my experience.

Edited October 23, 2012 by Aaron

[fUnKy]

In Plymouth we get a fair bit of light polution but a midnight drive upto the moors is very rewarding. Huge, bright, starry sky.

[March Blizzard]

Not much chance of seeing many stars where I am, you can get past the seemingly constant cloud cover but you can't get past the light pollution that comes with living in the second largest conurbation in the country. Only a few of the brightest ones are visible here.

I suppose if I could be bothered to go on a clear night it's not too far to the Peak District.

[Snowy Easterlies]

Daylight is over rated in winter, what can you do anyway with the extra hour of light in the evenings if the clocks stayed on BST time, its too cold, muddy and wet most of the time, i prefer them going back as at least it will be light again in the mornings for a while, its hard enough getting out of bed as it is anyway and the darkness doesn't help atm

We are told by some politicians that we can do more things if clocks stayed on BST, what are these "things" then ?

Edited October 24, 2012 by Snowy Easterlies

[philglossop]

I notice it on the walk home in the evening as soon they will lock the park (when the clocks go back) and then I'll have to walk all the way around it.. Pain in the.....

Ah Beaumont Park I take it? It's always been the same, a total pain for likes of myself working around St Judes- just means a walk up Lipson Road then down Tothill Rd.

[Bottesford]

Daylight is over rated in winter, what can you do anyway with the extra hour of light in the evenings if the clocks stayed on BST time, its too cold, muddy and wet most of the time, i prefer them going back as at least it will be light again in the mornings for a while, its hard enough getting out of bed as it is anyway and the darkness doesn't help atm

We are told by some politicians that we can do more things if clocks stayed on BST, what are these "things" then ?

It's the safety and energy efficiency aspect - there are more people up & about at 6pm than there are 7am so its better to have the daylight hours skewed to towards the latter part of the day. I know some will hark on about how it should be GMT all the time then you should get up earlier etc but for most of us we can't dictate our working & schooling hours so it ends up with most societies skewed into greatest activity in the PM hours.

Saying that this morning was a killer to wake up to and even now in the office it still feels like half night. The thick cloud being the culprit.

[Methuselah]

What is the use of an hour's daylight, between 6 and 7 am? So, why bother putting-back clocks at all?

It seems like an outdated ritual to me...

[fUnKy]

Ah Beaumont Park I take it? It's always been the same, a total pain for likes of myself working around St Judes- just means a walk up Lipson Road then down Tothill Rd.

that's the one.. only adds a few minutes but feels much worse.

[Essan]

What is the use of an hour's daylight, between 6 and 7 am? So, why bother putting-back clocks at all?

It seems like an outdated ritual to me...

So that midday (on the meridian) is at 12.00 again Still don't know why we bother messing with them in spring. Especially since they invented these new fangled lights wot mean you can even play tennis at midnight in winter if you want to. Seems like an outdated ritual to me .......

Be nice being light(ish) when getting up in the morning. But still won't really start getting properly light till after 7am. And it's all downhill again thereafter..... Would have been so much better if we put the clocks back to normal at the end of September instead of waiting till now when there's less benefit .....

Edited October 24, 2012 by Essan

[Bottesford]

So that midday (on the meridian) is at 12.00 again Still don't know why we bother messing with them in spring. Especially since they invented these new fangled lights wot mean you can even play tennis at midnight in winter if you want to. Seems like an outdated ritual to me .......

Be nice being light(ish) when getting up in the morning. But still won't really start getting properly light till after 7am. And it's all downhill again thereafter..... Would have been so much better if we put the clocks back to normal at the end of September instead of waiting till now when there's less benefit .....

Because it'd be light at 6am and dark at 5:30pm - hardly the best use of daylight when many people are still asleep. Think of the wasted energy on lighting that would cause...

[Continental Climate]

I like when the clocks go back at least the 12z model runs start at 15:30, for me when this happens its the official start to winter

[latitude]

Yes.

[Essan]

Because it'd be light at 6am and dark at 5:30pm - hardly the best use of daylight when many people are still asleep. Think of the wasted energy on lighting that would cause...

But even on real time, it still won't be light till 7am. And on a cloudy day like today, my light was on from when I got up until leaving work at 9.25am. It was on again as soon as I got home at 5.15pm. The only difference is that once we're back on real time, for a couple of weeks or so, I may need my light on for an hour less in the morning. Saving energy.

Of course, for those who stay in bed till medday it's a moot point :lol: But an awful lot of people (including school children) have left home for work (or school) before it gets light in winter .....

I like when the clocks go back at least the 12z model runs start at 15:30, for me when this happens its the official start to winter

I like the fact that the 12z Fax Chart shows the predicted synopics for 12.00 instead of 13.00

[Snowy Easterlies]

Because it'd be light at 6am and dark at 5:30pm - hardly the best use of daylight when many people are still asleep. Think of the wasted energy on lighting that would cause...

it won't really be light at at 6am though, especially in the the north and west, plus in a couple of weeks it will still be dark at 7 am again, the time when many people get up, tbh honest though there are advantages and disadvantages with GMT and BST and we can't really win either way we just have to put up with it, im used to it by now anyway its not as if its a new thing, it happens every year, also for the main part of the day its light, its not like we live in northern russia and its only light for about 4 hours a day.

[weatherobsuk]

The good news is that it's only 8 weeks before the Sun reverts back into it's Northern Hemisphere phase. Just these 2 months before the nights steadily become shorter once again, of course this won't be noticable until March.

[Bottesford]

But even on real time, it still won't be light till 7am. And on a cloudy day like today, my light was on from when I got up until leaving work at 9.25am. It was on again as soon as I got home at 5.15pm. The only difference is that once we're back on real time, for a couple of weeks or so, I may need my light on for an hour less in the morning. Saving energy.

Of course, for those who stay in bed till medday it's a moot point But an awful lot of people (including school children) have left home for work (or school) before it gets light in winter .....

Well yes today is dire for light levels so would make very little difference where that extra hour was!

The point I make is more people are awake and doing active things like travelling, working, socialising etc, between 5pm and 6pm than are doing those things between 6am and 7am. So ideally we would favour our system to allow for it be light when more people are doing activity as opposed to when people are sleeping or swearing at the alarm clock.

I'm sure many others are like me in working 5 days a week but live sufficiently close to their jobs that even starting at 8-8:30am don't ever need to see pre 7am. When I went to school I got up around 8am. Wanting BST isn't just for noon risers! In December its futile what you do really. But by early to mid Feb for example the safety/energy of daylight at the evening rush hour instead of pre 7am would be most welcomed.

Besides overall surely its better to stay on one single timezone? And if so GMT is ludicrously wasteful of daylight outside of the darker half of the year so BST it is.

[Upgrade]

Can't wait to move to Australia next week - although i love snow in the UK in winter, and model watching, the long dark days of the 6 months of GMT have increasingly become more difficult for me over the last few years. it just restricts my outdoor life too much. Glad i'm emigrating in that respect - i will look forward to snow and ski-ing in the Australian Alps in the southern winter, but at least i will be able to to work and come back in the daylight year round.

Edited October 24, 2012 by Upgrade

[Essan]

Besides overall surely its better to stay on one single timezone? And if so GMT is ludicrously wasteful of daylight outside of the darker half of the year so BST it is.

It's not wasteful of daylight - we get the same number of hours if we're on Zulu Time and midday is at 12,00 or if we're on Alpha (German) Time and it's at 1.00pm. Just makes life easier if 12z and mudday coincide.

Ironically, in Germany, daylight hours are the same as they are in Britain. But over there they don't campaign to shift to Beta time. Why?

[I remember Atlantic 252]

I like when the clocks go back at least the 12z model runs start at 15:30, for me when this happens its the official start to winter

Never in for 12Z's, its the excitement of the 18Z I like, its starts filtering through at 9.45pm

[Snowy Easterlies]

i benefit from GMT is felt from 7am to 8am in winter, not 6am to 7am, its still dark at the time anyway, in december and january it usually starts getting light here about 7 45am, with BST time it would be about 8 45, its much worse in scotland and ireland,

Edited October 24, 2012 by Snowy Easterlies

[wizard.muh]

I always hate this annual dedate (in the papers) Depending on where you live North west etc. There's are varying pros and cons. In Dec we are prob better off with GMT in fairness, the days are too short whatever but come feb, its wasted. What's the big deal with changing clocks anyway? Why not go european time when we have all the light we could wish for and go GMT in dec. Devise a complicated system of increased clock changing to confuse the sheep and morons and those summer months would be great. Imagine a hot day when you finish work early at 4 and the sun is still only two hours past meridian.

Edited October 24, 2012 by wizard.muh

[Bottesford]

It's not wasteful of daylight - we get the same number of hours if we're on Zulu Time and midday is at 12,00 or if we're on Alpha (German) Time and it's at 1.00pm. Just makes life easier if 12z and mudday coincide.

Ironically, in Germany, daylight hours are the same as they are in Britain. But over there they don't campaign to shift to Beta time. Why?

Indeed we do get the same number of hours overall and actually I agree we should use midday as the middle of the day. But time is so culturally engrained I just can't see regular working hours shifted to suit. Office hours being 8am-4pm would make more sense but I can't see that happening as I know I need to be available until 5pm at work no matter when I come in.

Also who here finds 12 noon is the middle of their waking day? I bet for many its more like 2pm (7am-11pm say). All this leads to daylight being more useful in the PM period than the AM period.

I'd prefer to stick to GMT only on the assumption society changes everything to suit - train timetables/ticket restrictions, tv schedules (so 8pm is when you can screen 18+ films on tv, Coronation Street at 6:30pm etc), work/school schedules, pub opening hours, shop opening hours, GP surgery hours and so on would all need to move earlier to suit. As that won't happen then keeping clocks on BST (or even BST+1 in summer if we do keep moving clocks) will be an easier solution.

Time of day is made up by us humans but its a strong connection - 6pm *feels* like 6pm and 11pm *feels* like bedtime to me whereas 10pm feels more like time to come on a forum and ramble about timezones before heading off upstairs...

Imagine a hot day when you finish work early at 4 and the sun is still only two hours past meridian.

Absolutely! I really find it frustrating finishing work at 5pm on a warm day only by the time you sat in the pub (or home) garden its turning chilly as the sun drops despite having been daylight for some 3 hours before needing to wake up!

[Snowy Easterlies]

If we went to CET time when would we put the clocks back ? if we were on CET time right now it would still be dark at 8 30 in the morning, maybe we could be on CET time from march to september but then what do we do go back to BST or GMT, im afraid CET could never work in this country but i can see us staying on BST at some point

Also no point in having CET this country don't do things late in the evening like they do on the continent, when do you see football games starting at 9 or 10 pm here, in spain they eat at about 9pm, what is the point of it being light till 11pm no one goes anywhere at that time, most are sitting inside watching tele or going to bed

Edited October 24, 2012 by Snowy Easterlies