Update: People in and around Hitchin and further afield could save money on heating and lighting bills if the clocks didn't go back every October, according to a university boffin.

Clocks are set to go back in the UK by one hour at 2am on Sunday, October 29.

However, it is claimed if the time change was avoided, people could save £1.20 a day or more than £400 a year.

A professor from Belfast's Queen's University insists savings can be made if Daylight Saving Time is scrapped.

The topic of whether clocks should be changed every autumn has long been the topic of debate.

Professor Aoife Foley, from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Queen's University, said the time change was scrapped, electricity demand would be reduced at peak hours, relieving pressure on the national grid - thereby saving Hitchin households money.

She said: "By simply foregoing the winter Daylight Saving Time (DST) in October, we save energy because it is brighter in the evening during winter, so we reduce commercial and residential electrical demand as people leave work earlier, and go home earlier, meaning less lighting and heating is needed.

"We are no longer in an energy crisis in Europe but an energy war and, dependent on weather conditions this winter, it is very likely we may need to start rationing energy very seriously to avoid bigger energy issues in December and January when gas reserves start to run low.

"There is no doubt that by foregoing the daylight savings in winter we would save a lot of energy, reduce our bills and carbon emissions during this energy war, and especially during a cost-of-living crisis."

Here's all you need to know about the changes.

When do the clocks change?

The clocks go back at 2am on Sunday, October 29, 2023, when all clocks turn back to 1am.

The best way to remember which way the clocks change is the phrase 'spring forwards, fall back.'

Our clocks always go forwards on the last weekend in March - next year the change will occur on Sunday, March 31, 2024 - and back again on October 27. 2024.

The reason why we change our clocks twice a year

The concept of daylight saving time came from Benjamin Franklin, the American inventor, statesman and scientist in 1784.

But, it wasn't until early last century, 1907 to be precise, when daylight saving was proposed in the UK by William Willett.

Furious at what he saw to be the loss of daylight during summer mornings, he self-published a tract entitled 'The Waste of Daylight'.

When do the clocks go forwards again?

Our clocks will go forwards again next spring, on Sunday, March 31, 2024.

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