Does this save money?

Tonight, we will switch to daylight saving time and we will lose an hour of sleep. Is it good for our wallet?

This Saturday evening, we’re changing the time, that’s it already 48 years that successive governments, since Giscard d’Estaing in 1976, have moved our clocks forward or back every year. Decryption with Fanny Guinochet.

franceinfo: Does this time change really make it possible, on an individual scale, to make savings?

Fanny Guinochet: You are right to ask the question, because originally in 1976, that was the aim of the operation: the time changes aimed to save energy, by reducing artificial lighting times in the evening. By adapting our days to natural sunshine, which varies throughout the year, the government hoped to reduce energy bills.

There latest study of Ademe concerning the impact of the time change on energy consumption dates from 2010, and in reality, the agency estimated that in fact, the Energy and CO2 savings remain modest, with almost zero implementation costs. There is still debate about whether or not to keep this time change, mBut, nonetheless, even small, any savings are worth taking.

And so we benefit from more daylight?

Yes, on average Ademe estimates that our lighting costs us 25 euros per household per year. VSIt’s perhaps time to look, to instead put LED bulbs, or bulbs labeled low consumption, notlight only the places where it is necessary. And obviously, we keep the old good reflex: when we leave a room, we turn off the light!

Shall we turn down the heating too?

Yes, because it’s spring, and even if the weather is unpredictable, it’s time to reduce the heating, or even turn it off, because we remember that heating alone represents a third of our energy consumption.

Did you know that a simple drop of 1 small degree reduces our energy consumption by 7% on average? Also consider reducing the temperature of your water heater for hot water. You can also set a timer, this also saves money.

And then spring normally rhymes with sunny days, so it’s time to dry your laundry outside and leave aside the dryer, which consumes a lot of electricity – it’s three times more than the washing machine. ..