There are lots of advantages to working from home, not least the fact that it eliminates the dreaded office commute. You might also find it easier to focus on your tasks without the distractions of a busy workplace. But there are potential downsides to remote working too – and one of these is the impact it can have on your energy bills. Chances are, you’ll spend a lot more time at home than you would if you had an office job, and this can lead to higher electricity and heating bills.
To help you keep your costs in check, here are four energy-saving hacks for your home office.
- Turn appliances off at the plug
It’s easy to get into the habit of leaving appliances on even when you’re not using them. From your PC or laptop to your printer, you might keep your tech on standby rather than switching it off at the plug. Although this might be more convenient, it can also be costly. Devices like computers use energy even when they’re in standby mode, so if you leave them on around the clock, you could be spending much more on electricity than you need to.
One way to make it easier and quicker to turn your tech off is to connect multiple pieces of equipment to a single power strip. This allows you to turn various appliances off at once when you’re not using them.
- Ditch your desktop
Unless there’s a particular reason why you need a desktop rather than a laptop, it’s generally a good idea to use the latter. In an infographic, utility experts Utility Bidder points out that whereas desktop computers typically use around 100 watts of energy, laptops consume half this at approximately 50 watts. Given that you probably rely heavily on this type of tech and use it throughout the day when you’re working, the savings you can make by ditching your desktop in favour of a smaller, more streamlined laptop could be significant.
- Switch to LEDs
According to the Energy Saving Trust, lighting accounts for around 15 per cent of an average household’s electricity bill. One way to cut your lighting costs is to switch from traditional non-energy saving bulbs to LEDs. These lights are available to suit most fittings, and they’re a great option for replacing dimmable lights and spotlights.
To save more money, make sure you switch the lights off each time you leave your home office, even if you know you’ll be back soon. Think about how many bulbs you need on at once too. You might not need all the lights on in the room to create enough brightness to do your work.
- Turn your thermostat down
Turning your central heating thermostat down by even just one degree could save you a lot on your energy bill. Also, if it’s just you using your home during the day, why not use programmable room thermostats to keep your office warmer than the rest of your house? Taking steps like these doesn’t mean you have to compromise on comfort while you’re working, and it could mean you save a lot of energy during the colder months.
You might be surprised by how much money you can save by putting a little extra thought into how you use energy in your home office – and as well as being good for your household budget, it also benefits the environment.
