How to save energy while working from home
Simple and effective ways for remote workers to reduce energy costs
Working from home has its upsides. An extra hour in bed, an unhurried coffee to start the day and not having to spend money commuting. But it also comes at a cost that’s easy to overlook. Energy.
When you’re in the office, the light, the heat and the power is all free. But when you work from home, you pick up the tab.
To help you save money when working from home, we’ve gathered our best tips and advice to help you create a more energy-efficient home office.
Energy-efficient habits at home
First, think about the best place to work. Set up your desk near a window or skylight, wherever gets the most natural light and heat during the day, if you can.
When it’s time for a cuppa, remember to boil only as much water as you need. And when yet another sandwich won’t cut it for lunch, use the microwave or air fryer if you’ve got one, as they’re cheaper to run than your oven. If you have time over the weekend cook in bulk and freeze for later in the working week. Batch cooking saves time and money and gives you some interesting lunches to look forward to. Look out for PeakSave events too and you’ll be enjoying half-price electricity when you do so.
Being at home means you can keep an eye on the weather and make the most of line drying the washing. If you can find a little time before your next meeting, that’s one less tumble dryer load you’ll be paying for, and a little bit of extra Vitamin D!
At the end of the working day or when you step away for lunch, get into the habit of switching off your computer. It’s just wasting energy otherwise.
Energy-efficient home heating
The warmer and lighter days of summer mean you’ll naturally be able to work from home without adding much to your energy bills. But it’s on those colder, darker days that it pays to be a bit more mindful of what energy you’re using.
Rethinking the heating is where you can save the most money. Choosing one room to work from so that you can avoid heating and lighting rooms you’re not using during the day can help.
Thermostatic radiator valves are also your friend here. They’re the things you twist to turn the temperature of radiators up or down. So you can keep your office room radiator on and turn all the others right down until you need them.
Smart thermostats like Hive’s are great in this situation too. Keep yours in the room with you and it’ll know when your office is warm enough.
Playing around with the temperature, dropping down a degree or two, can also help. You may not notice any difference in how comfortable you feel, but you will notice the savings on your heating bill.
The next step is to swap out any old bulbs. Newer LED bulbs use a fraction of the electricity, so spending a few pounds on one, at least for your work room, will pay for itself before you know it.
Energy-efficient home improvements
If you know you’re going to be working from home more often than not, then spending on home improvements can start to make more sense.
Insulation is important for an energy-efficient home. And heat rises, so it’s worth checking that your loft is properly insulated, especially if you live in an older house. Loft insulation isn’t very expensive to upgrade and it’s not a big, drawn-out job, but it makes a big difference to keeping the house warm.
Although they’re a significant investment to make, solar panels will help you generate most of, if not all of your electricity. Many solar users also sell their additional electricity back to the national grid.
And finally, if you don’t have smart meters yet, we recommend them to everyone. And we’ll fit them for free. Smart meters show you how much you’re spending on energy when you’re working from home, and when you’re not. They can help you make adjustments so you’re not using more energy than you need to.
Just a few changes can make sure you’re being energy efficient at home, whether it doubles as your office occasionally, or every day.
Check out even more of our energy-saving ideas
Plus, we’ve got lots of helpful articles about energy and home services for you to read on The Source.