EN 
PT_BR 
At midnight (00:00) on February 17th (Sunday) all clocks in the country must be set back by one hour. It's as if we were going back in time, because right after the adjustment it will be 11 pm on Saturday. Not all states in Brazil adopt daylight saving time. Only SP, RJ, ES, GO, MT, MS, MG, PR, RS, SC and the Federal District use the measure, which aims to save electricity during the summer months.
But does daylight saving time really work? This issue tends to cause controversy in the country every year. There are those who love and those who hate daylight saving time. Some people like the feeling of longer days, having more time to enjoy warmer days outdoors. Some people hate having to wake up when it's still dark. For better or worse, daylight saving time has been a part of life for much of the country for many years.
Designed to save electricity, daylight saving time is criticized for not achieving the expected results. Its critics claim that the savings provided are very small, practically negligible. Are these people right? In fact, in recent years the peak of electricity consumption has moved from the night to the afternoon.
A few years ago, the greatest energy consumption in Brazilian homes was caused by using the shower at the end of the day, or beginning of the night, when people arrived home from work. With the increase in purchasing power and the rise in average temperatures, the accelerated growth in the use of air conditioning devices has caused electricity consumption to be greater during the day than at the beginning of the night. Because of this, many people say that daylight saving time has outlived its usefulness.
In use in Brazil since 1985, daylight saving time may have its days numbered. The extinction of the time change is being discussed at the national congress. Maybe next year Brazilians will have to get used to having shorter summer days. Good for some, bad for others.
