There is a time of year when the clocks in Britain go forward one hour, and another time for it to fall back. Moving forward an hour is called British Summer Time (BST) and is the basis for Daylight Savings Time (DST). It is designed to sync the clock accordingly when the days become "longer" due to longer daylight hours. Likewise, the clocks fall back when the daylight hours returns to "normal" length. When should one set their clocks forward by one hour in 2018?
Clocks move forward by one hour on March 25, 2018 at 1 a.m., which means that many people will probably lose an hour of sleep on a Sunday morning. Some phones and gadgets adjust to this time automatically. However, it would not hurt to check every clock in the house and adjust them manually, especially those with more of a mechanical design.
As for when the clocks go back to "normal," that date would be on Oct. 28, 2018. One way to easily remember when to set clocks forward and back is by memorizing the phrase "spring forward, fall back." What it means is that clocks go forward on the last weekend in March — which is spring — and go back on the last weekend of October— which is autumn, or fall.
This practice is mandated by the British government, and the clock-changing has its roots that reach all the way back to World War One. It was originally intended as a way to save coal usage during that time, but was later adopted to save the "wasted" daylight hours at the time of year when days are longer. Thus, it was called "Daylight Saving Time" (DST).
While DST and British Summer Time (BST) have been a part of life, their use still has its detractors. Those in favor of the time adjustment say it saves time and energy and reduces crime and traffic accidents. However, those not in favor of it claim that the energy savings were never quantified enough and that there are also potential health risks.
