While most of Europe switched to standard time last week, Turkey continued its policy of permanent daylight saving time, which has attracted criticism for benefiting pro-government energy distribution companies to the disadvantage of people who start the day in the dark and pay higher electricity bills.
Turkey first adopted the policy in 2016, when Berat Albayrak, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son-in-law, was serving as energy minister, on the grounds that it would help save energy, but the efficiency of the practice has been subject of debate since then.
The policy, however, has increased energy consumption as well as profits for the electricity distribution companies close to the government. Without the standard time adjustment, households use more lighting and electrical appliances, leading to higher electricity bills, according to official data.
For instance, the Energy Ministry paid electricity distribution companies a total 53.7 billion lira (around $1.5 billion) for street lighting between January 2020 and June 2024. In the first half of 2024 alone, TL 14.2 billion (around $400 million) was paid. Given that the ministry’ budget for the procurement of goods and services in 2024 is TL 39.5 billion (around $1.1 billion), it means that 40 percent of the ministry’ procurement budget for the first half of 2024 was spent on street lighting services to electricity distribution companies.
The Energy Ministry cited a protocol dated November 20, 2015, with İstanbul Technical University as justification for the policy. Although the psychological counselors, sociologists and technical experts who contributed to the study are said to be in favor of the permanent daylight saving time policy, the report’s contents remain unpublished.
According to journalist Çiğdem Toker from the T24 news site the permanent daylight saving time policy primarily benefits pro-government companies like Cengiz, Limak, Kolin and Türkerler — groups that are involved in energy distribution and also handle major transportation and infrastructure projects in Turkey.
Toker also claims that rising electricity bills due to permanent daylight saving time have an inflationary effect on prices.
From 1973 to 2016, Turkey adjusted its clocks forward in spring and back in fall. In 2016, then-energy minister Albayrak proposed making daylight saving time permanent, citing potential energy and electricity savings.
On September 7, 2016, the cabinet ended seasonal time changes in Turkey, making daylight saving time permanent. However, the Council of State subsequently suspended the implementation of this decision.
The issue was resolved through legislation when the parliament passed an omnibus bill on November 7, 2017. Finally, the “forward time” application was made permanent through a decree published in the Official Gazette on October 2, 2018.