It’s that time of year, where we all need to start planning to move our clocks either forward or backward an hour to account for Daylight Saving.

 

Abbreviated as DST - and often called “Daylight Savings” or simply “summer time - is so named because it was created to allow for more usable hours of sunlight during the day. There are a few specific reasons why this time change was adopted, but we’ll discuss that later.

 

Daylight Saving generally happens during the summer season to allow for more daylight, and then becomes inactive again in the winter, at least in most places. There are exceptions, but they are few and far between.

 

The exact time that DST goes into effect - or vice versa - depends on the region or country. Because it differs so, it can be confusing to keep up with, especially since there are areas of the world that don’t observe the time change. Not to mention, various countries are constantly updating their DST status each year.

 

In the United States, Daylight Saving occurs on the second Sunday of March (this year it is March 12), so at 2:00 AM the clocks will be moved forward an hour to 3:00 AM. It ends on the first Sunday in November (which is Nov 5 this year) at 2:00 AM, so at that time, the clocks will be turned back one hour to 1:00 AM.

 

In some territories, when DST is observed they switch to a different time zone other than the “standard” zone. This also means they do not alter their clocks. For instance, in the UK they switch from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to British Summer Time (BST) during DST.

 

Why Do We Use Daylight Saving?

 

U.S. inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin was one of the first to propose a time change in 1784, in an effort to preserve usable hours of sunlight. Yet, the concept wasn’t taken seriously until 1895 when New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson came up with a proposal for a two-hour time change. His proposal eventually gave birth to, and was named Daylight Saving.

 

The time change provided longer days with more available sunlight in some areas of the world. Longer workdays were the product of this, which was beneficial for everyone at the time. That may no longer be the case in the modern world, however.

 

Some believe Daylight Saving should still be used, while others feel it is now obsolete. It’s true that the time change is not as much of a necessity, thanks to modern technological advancements and changes in the way we live. Sunlight is not needed all day, because we have the resources to work in the dark.

 

Some claim that Daylight Saving is helpful for energy conservation because people use less electricity during the day. Those same parties claim there are fewer road accidents and injuries while it’s active. They are obviously supportive of the time change and want it to remain in effect.

 

There are studies that argue the opposite, one of which posits that DST can negatively affect one's health due to a decrease in total sleep and disruption of our body clocks -- resulting in more heart attacks.

 

When Does Daylight Saving Begin in 2017?

 

Start and end dates for Daylight Saving depends on the country or part of the world where you live. It starts in Canada, for example, at a completely different time as it does in Belgium.

 

Some of the upcoming DST start dates for 2017 are:

 

Please keep in mind this list is not final. Countries pass laws and time changes all the time after DST has gone into affect, and some extend it even when it should have ended.

 

United States: All Time Zones that use DST

DST Begins: Sunday, March 12 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Austria

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

The Bahamas: Nassau

DST Begins: Sunday, March 12 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Belgium

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Canada: Montreal

DST Begins: Sunday, March 12 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Croatia

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Cuba

DST Begins: Sunday, March 12 at 1:00am.

Move your clock forward to 2:00am.

 

Denmark

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Finland

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 3:00am.

Move your clock forward to 4:00am.

 

France

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Germany

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Greece

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 3:00am.

Move your clock forward to 4:00am.

 

Hungary

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Iran

DST Begins: Sunday, March 22 at 12:00am.

Move your clock forward to 1:00am.

 

Israel

DST Begins: Friday, March 24 at 12:00am.

Move your clock forward to 1:00am.

 

Italy

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Jordan

DST Begins: Friday, March 31 at 3:00am.

Move your clock forward to 4:00am.

 

Netherlands

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Norway

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Poland

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Syria

DST Begins: Friday, March 31 at 12:00am.

Move your clock forward to 1:00am.

 

Sweden

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

Turkey

 

Turkey will not observe DST in 2017.

 

Ukraine: All Time Zones that use DST

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 3:00am.

Move your clock forward to 4:00am.

 

United Kingdom: All Time Zones that use DST

DST Begins: Sunday, March 26 at 2:00am.

Move your clock forward to 3:00am.

 

To find a DST schedule not listed, use our location Search found in the header.

Sign up for DST reminders and never miss a DST time change again by clicking the DST Reminder link found on the current time page for a specific location.