diff --git a/application/config/config.sample.php b/application/config/config.sample.php
index 47dc6b45..2ae041aa 100644
--- a/application/config/config.sample.php
+++ b/application/config/config.sample.php
@@ -576,7 +576,7 @@ $config['compress_output'] = FALSE;
 | helper' page of the user guide for information regarding date handling.
 |
 */
-$config['time_reference'] = 'local';
+$config['time_reference'] = 'UTC';
 
 /*
 |--------------------------------------------------------------------------