MILLIONS of us will get to enjoy an extra an hour in bed this weekend when the clocks change.
They will go back one hour at 2am on Sunday, October 29, signalling the end of daylight saving time.
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This means it will be brighter for an extra hour in the morning, and sunset will come one hour earlier in the evening.
As the clocks go back, there are likely to be things around your home that may need adjusting.
Gadgets like our phones will change automatically but there will be devices you’ll need to do manually.
To help you get ahead of the game, we outline four things you can do now to prepare for the change and ensure you’re not caught out.
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Change your clocks
It may seem obvious, but in the age of smart phones it’s easy to forget that most of the clocks in your home won’t change automatically.
If you have any analogue alarm clocks, you’ll need to push them forward.
If you don’t, any alarms you have set will go off an hour later and you wouldn’t want to be late for work or miss out on any plans.
Some alarm clocks may be radio-controlled and will change themselves – so just make sure you know what yours is.
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All car clocks are different, so you should make sure you’re up to date with yours and how to change it.
James Longley, managing director at Utility Bidder, said: “Devices connected to the internet such as smartphones, computers, and TVs will update automatically, nevertheless, there are some cases where you will need to change the clocks manually – especially if you are relying on an analogue alarm clock to wake you up.”
A car clock won’t change automatically.
It should be quite simple to do if you follow the instructions – it’ll most likely be on the dashboard.
Usually, you may need to tap the “volume” buttons to adjust the house and minutes of the clock, but the manual should explain everything.
If you can’t find your manual, you could always try and search for a tutorial on Youtube – just type in something like “change clock in Ford Fiesta”, for example.
Don’t forget to check the clocks on appliances like microwave and ovens too.
You may also need to manually adjust the times on their wristwatches from Sunday.
Both analogue and digital wrist watchers will require an adjustment so that the time goes forward one hour.
Analogue watch wearers can change the time by moving the crown on the right-hand side of the watch face.
Those with digital watches might have buttons on the left of the watch face that can be pressed to change the time.
Check central heating and hot water
We’ve already experienced some pretty chilly weather this autumn.
Many of us are keeping the heating on during these cold snaps, so it’s important to ensure we’ve changed the time, otherwise we’ll waste an hour.
Newer smart thermostats and programmers should automatically adjust to the change.
But older central heating and hot water timers will need to be manually adjusted.
If your heating is coming on at the wrong time and you’re having it on longer as a result, this could push up your energy bill.
Energy efficiency expert Stephen Hankinson at Electric Radiators Direct said: “Many of us will probably neglect to think of the effect on our heating.
“For manual electric radiators, it’s important to remember to reset the time on them whenever the clocks turn backwards or forwards, otherwise it could throw your heating routine out of sync and waste energy keeping the house warm when it’s not needed.
“Electric radiators with app control will update their time automatically, for a more intuitive system.”
Adjust your smart lights
If you use automatic smart lights, you may want to change the time they’re set to come on.
If your lights are connecting to your phone, you don’t need to worry as they’ll change automatically.
But while you don’t need to change their time, you may want to change the time you’ve set for them to come on, which is most likely before it gets light.
Now that we’ve got an extra hour of light, it might be an idea to change them to come on earlier or later, depending on when you get up.
Make a change
The changing of the clocks could be a good time to put plans in place for the busy Christmas period.
This could be getting your festive finances in order, or looking ahead to money changes coming up in the New Year.
Look over your latest bank statements and credit card bills, if you have one, and work out where your money is going.
Make yourself a budget – either online or written to – to keep track of your spending.
After all, anything you can do now to ease the impact of the cost of living crisis is worth considering.
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Meanwhile, Aldi fans are going wild for a £13 Specialbuy to keep homes warm without cranking up the thermostat.
Plus, People on Universal Credit are just realising they can get a £300 direct payment – and it’s coming soon.
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