“UK should put clocks forward extra hour to save on energy bills”

TORY ministers are being urged to put British clocks forward an extra hour to help alleviate the pressures caused by the cost of living crisis.

The Liberal Democrat peer John Lee said moving to Central European Time would help reduce household bills as it would maximise daylight in the evenings. Inflation has reached the highest level in 30 years and energy bills continue to rise.

“It’s a serious, long-term issue for a sizeable proportion of the population and I think the government should look very seriously at it,” he said.

“Double summer time would be relatively cheap, it wouldn’t really cost the government anything of significance as far as I’m aware.”

Lord Lee said he would call on the government to consider its position on double summer time when the House of Lords returns from recess later this month.

Extending daylight hours would save households 152 hours’ worth of electricity annually, it is claimed.

A 1993 study by the Policy Studies Institute estimated that the change would save more than £260m in electricity bills, but according to the government, the effects were “likely to be small in magnitude” and potentially “uncertain in direction”.

Clocks were last changed to save energy during the Second World War but went back to normal after the war.