24 October 2009 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
Pursuant to a Cabinet decision, as of tomorrow work hours for civil servants will be adjusted to allow for the best benefit from the end of daylight saving time.
A statement released by the İstanbul Governorate announced that the work hours of employees at state institutions would be moved back by half an hour, running from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m., in order to make better use of daylight and to save energy by reducing work hours in the evenings, when energy use reaches its peak.In Turkey, just as in European Union countries, daylight saving time generally starts on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday of October.
The Energy Ministry says switching to daylight saving time helps the country save 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity -- an amount equal to the total electricity production of an average-sized hydroelectric power plant -- worth some TL 300 million. Daylight saving time allows people to use less energy by starting the day earlier, which results in less energy use for heating and lighting.
