Decreasing Energy Consumption When Working From Home

Working from home may be both a blessing and a pain for different people. Whether you like the idea of working from home or not, you must pay for the heating and energy use that would normally be covered by your employer.

Since the pandemic, many people who had the option to work from home did so and continued to do so after the government relaxed the rules.

However, spending an increasing amount of time at home is unavoidably associated with several issues, including childcare, food, mental health, money, and energy use.

Rising Energy Costs and Working From Home

Energy costs will increase as we continue working from home through the autumn and winter as many of us look for ways to be more comfortable inside. According to recent Uswitch data, families where people already work from home will consume 25% more power and 17% more gas daily. When the weather turns cooler and people instinctively turn up their heaters, it is projected that this increase would quicken.

• Many of us use more energy just by being at home, which results from being inside for most of the day.
• We’ll be using the lights and heating of our home rather than sitting in a warm, bright office.
• We‘ll use our own electricity to boil the kettle at home rather than using the workplace electricity
• We might watch television for half an hour during our lunch break rather than going for a stroll or visiting places near your work

Things we wouldn’t normally be doing during the day if we were in the office.

How can you work from home and use less energy?

• Don’t leave appliances on Standby – You could save up to £30 a year just by turning your appliances off at the mains. Unplug your devices once they’re fully charged – that way, you avoid using unnecessary energy and your devices will last longer.
• Turn your heating down – You can save up to £80 a year by turning your heating down by just 1°C! If you’re cold but don’t want to put the heating on, maybe grab a couple of blankets first. A nice cup of tea to get yourself warm.
• Turn off the lights and replace them with energy-efficient bulbs – By switching to energy-saving light bulbs and turning off the lights, can help you save up to £49 annually on your energy costs. Whenever you leave a room, remember to turn off the lights. About 10 to 15 per cent of our annual energy costs go toward lighting our houses; by converting to energy-saving bulbs, this cost can be cut in half.
• Utilising the cool cycle for laundry. You might save as much as £52 a year by switching to a 30°C wash. You can always run a hotter cycle on occasion, but many laundry detergents are just as successful at cleaning your clothes at 30 °C as they are at higher cycles. If it’s not raining, hang your laundry outside to dry or use a free-standing airer as an alternative to the tumble dryer.
• Draught-proofing your windows and doors can help you save up to £20 annually – according to Which? Consider installing draught-proofing strips or brush strips for sash windows on your windows. Draught-proofing strips for the doors’ gaps at the edges, as well as brush or hinged flap draught excluders on the bottom. You might always think about hiring a professional draught-proofer for even greater savings.
• By making better use of your kitchen appliances – you may save up to £31. By only filling the kettle with the water you need rather than the full quantity, you can save about £6 a year. Use a microwave to heat your meals since it is much more effective at heating little amounts of food than a standard gas or electric range is. Avoid popping the oven door open too quickly to avoid wasting energy and releasing hot air. Instead, if you can, peek inside the oven to determine whether your meal appears to be done. Batch cooking is a fantastic technique to reduce the cost of ingredients and energy. Several meals can be prepared at once to save time.

Whether you’re a homeowner, landlord, a private or social renter, a student, or you live with your parents, there are many things that you can do to help decrease energy consumption when working from home.