Clocks change in the night of 24 to 25 October

Italy's clocks will go back one hour in the night between Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October 2026, when 3:00 becomes 2:00. The change brings standard time (ora solare) back and closes seven months of summer time (ora legale). Smartphones, tablets and computers connected to the internet will adjust on their own, while analogue watches will have to be set by hand. Summer time is due to return in the night between 27 and 28 March 2027, according to Adnkronos and Il Messaggero.

What the savings amount to

Grid operator Terna says the summer time period reduced electricity consumption by 300 million kWh, equal to the average annual demand of about 115,000 households, and cut costs by more than 90 million euros. The same period is estimated to have lowered CO2 emissions by about 140,000 tonnes. Terna's analysis of the years 2004 to 2026 puts the cumulative drop in electricity use caused by summer time at more than 12.3 billion kWh, which it values at about 2.4 billion euros for Italian consumers. Citing the energy regulator ARERA, Terna also gives an average price of 31.4 euro cents per kWh, gross of taxes, for a standard domestic customer in protected service over the summer time period from 29 March to 25 October 2026.

Effects on sleep and mood

Luigi Ferini-Strambi, director of the sleep medicine centre at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, describes the shift as a brief disruption to the body clock that can affect sleep, meals and mood.

“It is a sort of mini jet lag.”

Fabrizio Pregliasco, director of the postgraduate school in hygiene and preventive medicine at the State University of Milan, links the symptoms to the body clock, which responds to light and to regular habits.

“The change in time can temporarily cause drowsiness, early waking, irritability and difficulty concentrating.”

Il Sole 24 Ore reports that the pineal gland, which produces melatonin and regulates the circadian rhythm, can take several days to adapt to the new timing. Open adds that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says adjustment can take up to a full week. Adnkronos, quoting Ferini-Strambi, notes that the extra hour of sleep comes at the cost of shorter days and darker evenings.

Energy use and household bills

Data from Pulsee Luce e Gas, cited by Tgcom24, put household energy consumption in the months on standard time 24.1% higher than in the months on summer time. Laundry rises the most, by 80.6%, which Pulsee links to more dryer use and more frequent washes. Lighting and electronics are up 63.7% as evenings get darker and people spend more time indoors, while standby consumption rises 4.7% and heating and ventilation 6.4%.

Laundry80.6%

Lighting and electronics63.7%

Heating and ventilation (HVAC)6.4%

Standby devices4.7%

Overall consumption24.1%

Laundry

80.6 %

Lighting and electronics

63.7 %

Heating and ventilation (HVAC)

6.4 %

Standby devices

4.7 %

Overall consumption

24.1 %

Data from the article text

Pulsee advises spinning washes at high speed, running full loads and choosing cycles at 30 to 40°C. It also recommends switching old bulbs to LEDs, which it says can cut consumption by up to 85%, and switching off unused devices during breaks.

Diet and the debate on the clock change

Immunologist Mauro Minelli, professor of clinical nutrition at the LUM university, recommends pumpkin and orange-fleshed vegetables for their beta-carotene, along with legumes and wholegrain cereals, to help the body through the transition. Open reports that the debate in Italy about abolishing the twice-yearly change is ongoing. AGI notes that summer time was first adopted in Italy in 1916, based on an idea by Benjamin Franklin, and that European states have discussed keeping one time all year. Individual states may decide for themselves, but for now the clock change remains.