Written question asked by Lord Horam (Conservative) on Wednesday, 8 February 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 15 February 2006. It was answered by Elliot Morley (Labour) on Wednesday, 15 February 2006 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

British Summertime

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the merits of introducing Double British Summertime as a means of improving the UK's record on climate change; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: A study by the Building Research Establishment commissioned by Defra for the purposes of the current review of the UK Climate Change Programme has concluded that, while a switch to Double British Summertime would reduce energy use for domestic lighting and non-domestic cooling, these savings would be more than offset by increased demand for non-domestic heating and lighting. The study therefore concluded that a switch to Double British Summertime was unlikely to lead to a reduction in the UK's carbon dioxide emissions.

Secondary information