Decision to maintain year-round summertime draws mixed reactions

AMMAN — The move to keep the Kingdom on summertime year-round has sparked disagreement among experts, as some praise the decision for its expected reduction of the burden on Jordan’s electrical grid, while others claim that it will place additional financial stress on citizens. 

Made official by the Cabinet on Wednesday, the decision is intended to reduce nighttime working hours and maximise the use of daylight, especially for students attending night classes, as well as public and private sector employees, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Mohammad Al Shaker, CEO of ArabiaWeather, a company specialised in weather forecasting, told The Jordan Times that temperatures will be at their lowest during the day, especially around the time when students leave for school.

“Wintertime is the original time for Jordan based on its global geographical location,” Shaker added. 

Shaker added that according to the new time regulations, it will still be dark during the hours that employees and students leave their houses. Therefore, the need to use electricity in households will increase, which will negatively affect energy savings.

Amjad Rawashdeh, Director of The National Electricity Company, told media channels on Wednesday that keeping summertime will be beneficial for the Kingdom’s electrical grid. 

“The timing will help us make the best use of renewable energy,” Rawashdeh said. 

Rawashdeh stated that benefits of keeping daylight saving time will be more pronounced in the evening, because it will help reduce peak electricity-use hours. 

“Households’ peak hours are after the sunset, whereas the commercial sector’s peak hours are during daytime. The timing will prevent the two peaks from intersecting,” Rawashdeh added. 

Meanwhile, Hussam Ayesh, an economist, told The Jordan Times that year-round summertime will place a financial burden on Jordanians. 

“Year-round summertime (daylight-saving time) contributes to increased electricity consumption, which means increasing the financial burden on Jordanians,” Ayesh said. 

Ayesh added that there are no correct or neutral scientific studies on the advantages of retaining daylight saving time throughout the year, further stressing the country’s need to return to wintertime.

Meanwhile, economist Wajdi Makhamreh, told The Jordan Times that the new timing will actually help boost the economy. 

“The timing will contribute to the growth of economic sectors, as having more daylight hours will increase citizens’ spending,” Makhamreh said. 

Makhamreh also suggested that electricity consumption will be reduced due to this decision. 

“People will not stay home for long hours,” he added.