CLOCKS go forward this weekend meaning lighter and longer days, although we will lost an hour.
This Sunday, March 26, clocks will go forward signalling the beginning of Spring.
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The period when they are an hour ahead is known as British Summer Time (BST).
During this time there’s more daylight in the evenings and less in the mornings. Sometimes it’s called Daylight Saving Time.
Clocks are set to change at 1am meaning many of us will be asleep.
The clocks going forward will see us gain extra daylight, but it’s still a change that we should prepare for.
Here’s four things you can do ahead of the weekend change:
Change alarm clocks
When the clocks go forward, you’ll want to change your alarm clocks.
If you need to get up at a certain time Sunday morning, it might be an idea to change it Saturday evening before you go to bed.
While most digital clocks, like those in smartphones, will change automatically, any analogue clocks will need to be changed manually.
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It’s pretty easy to change the time, just make sure you have an instruction booklet or if not, you can usually find a handy tutorial on YouTube.
Turn the heating off?
As Spring is just around the corner, that hopefully means warmer weather.
So if you’ve got your heating set to come on then you might want to think about turning it off or setting it to come on for less time.
However, March has been a cold month and we are due another cold snap, so think about what works best for you.
But if you are thinking about keeping the heating on, there are things you can do to keep costs lower.
For example, some people believe it’s more cost effective to keep the heating on low all day – but it’s proven that this actually costs more.
It’s also a myth that it costs less to use an electric heater. You’re better off just turning off all your radiators except the one in the room you’re using.
Check your timers
If you are keeping the heating on, then you might want to update the timer.
This is so it isn’t coming on and off at the wrong time, which could ultimately waste your money.
This might be another thing to do the night before, rather than on Sunday so your heating comes on when you want it to.
Take stock
Because the changing of the clocks come twice a year, some households use the opportunity to catch up on their to-do list.
That means you’ll be able to check those long-term chores off your list.
You could make a pact to yourself to come up with a new budget, take stock of your saving goals or consolidate your pension pots.
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