Households could save more than £400 a year on energy bills if clocks are not put back at the end of October,【C1】_____an expert, who said it would help people with the cost of living crisis and reduce【C2】_____on the National Grid this winter.

Evening energy demand【C3】_____between 5 pm and 7 pm during winter, when the sun has already set after daylight savings time ST). If clocks didn’t go back, it would【C4】_____ light for at least part of this time,【C5】_____carbon emissions and energy demand. Prof Aoife Foley, a clean energy expert at Queen’s University Belfast, said, “By simply【C6】__the winter DST in October, we save energy because we can reduce commercial and residential electrical demand as people leave work earlier, and go home earlier, meaning less lighting and heating is【C7】_____.”

This would help the governments【C8】_____the “energy war” in Europe, she said. “Dependent on weather conditions this winter it is very【C9】__we may need to start rationing energy very【C10】_____to avoid bigger energy issues in December and January,” she said.

There has long been【C11】_____over whether to scrap DST, which was introduced in 1916 to reduce energy demand. It still benefits some farmers,【C12】__is less popular among people who would prefer more light later in the day in winter, and is thought to cause sleep 【C13】__. It was【C14】_____proposed in 1907 by William Willett, a builder and the great, great grandfather of Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who is well known for the song Clocks.

Foley did not【C15】_____gas savings or electricity and gas in the commercial or industrial sectors in her calculations, but she said these would offer “even more【C16】_____energy, cost and emissions reductions”, flattening the evening peak on energy demand by up to 10％.

Some critics of scrapping daylight savings are【C17】_____about road traffic collisions, but Foley’s research【C18】__most road deaths occur in good【C19】__during the day and outside built-up areas, and usually on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with speed, tiredness and alcohol the main【C20】_____.

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