BST time now |
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16:27:14 Thu, 26 Jun 2025
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| UTC Offset: UTC +1 |
British Summer Time (BST) operates at UTC+1 and serves as the United Kingdom's daylight saving time. It is sometimes referred to as "UK Summer Time" or simply "Summer Time". BST begins in spring when clocks are set one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and it ends in autumn when clocks return to GMT (UTC+0). This seasonal adjustment allows for more daylight during evening hours.
Importance and Global Use of BST
BST was introduced to make better use of daylight during the longer summer days, helping to reduce energy consumption, improve productivity, and allow for extended leisure and commercial activities. The shift provides longer daylight in the evenings, benefiting sectors such as retail, tourism, sports, and public events, while improving safety due to increased daylight hours during peak activity times.
Though BST is officially used only in the United Kingdom and its Crown Dependencies, its effects influence international coordination, especially in sectors like aviation, finance, telecommunications, and international business, where accurate timekeeping is essential across multiple time zones during the UK's summer months.
Where and When BST is used worldwide
Europe
European countries and territories using BST during summer and GMT during winter
- Guernsey
- Isle of Man
- Jersey
- United Kingdom
Other Time Zones in UTC +1
Other time zones share the same offset as British Summer Time (BST), but are known by different names. While their clocks align, they may represent different regions or countries based on local time zone definitions.
- Central European Time – CET
- Irish Standard Time – IST
- West Africa Time – WAT
- Western European Summer Time – WEST