Telecommuting: How to reduce energy consumption while staying at home all day?

With the advancement of the omicron variant and its rapid expansion and incidence, many companies have chosen to recover, in this winter of 2022, work from home.

If the start of covid-19 forced companies to implement teleworking programs, after almost two years of the pandemic, it has been proven that this modality, which before 2020 had little presence in Spain, is an option that can benefit both parties. .

However, from the first year of the pandemic to today there has been a factor that has changed substantially, and that affects all users: .

For this reason, resuming teleworking right now is a headache for many domestic economies.

We propose below some simple strategies so that this type of work continues to be advantageous for workers, without increasing the cost of their energy bills.

How to save while telecommuting?

All teleworking involves energy consumption. Therefore, during the working day, priority will be given to reducing consumption in the rest of the appliances in the house.

Programmable or timed plugs, wireless or Wi-Fi thermostats and home automation applications can help reduce the consumption of household appliances and consume only what is necessary for work.

Planning the working day and maintaining the routine

The main aspect is to know that telecommuting also has a schedule. Any extension of it will lead to an increase in the electricity and heating bill. Therefore, it is necessary to try to carry out the working day in the established time.

Being rigorous with this will allow you to gain productivity and make the most of your working hours. In addition, as there are no commutes to work, the free time available is optimized and increased.

Following the same schedule that is used to go to work, including the breakfast routine, personal hygiene and clothing, keeps the biorhythm active and adjusts the body temperature to the usual routine.

Energy expenditure while working from home

It is important to consider that electricity consumption during working hours at home is added to daily consumption. For this reason, it is very important to be strict and rigorous in this aspect as well as in the schedules and equipment that are going to be used.

Try to ensure that computers, chargers, tablets, mobile phones, etc., are completely disconnected when you are not working to avoid phantom consumption.

It is also advisable to make rational use of lighting through LED goosenecks or table lamps, if it is not necessary to have the general lights on during the day. Only the necessary lights that are going to be used should be turned on.

Take advantage of daylight

At the temperature level, one of the most effective tips is to make the most of natural lighting and solar radiation. Despite how cold it may be outside, sunlight always generates heat on facades and walls.

Try to have as much natural light as possible in the work area to reduce electricity consumption and take advantage of latent heat. Protecting the windows with weather stripping, blinds and curtains prevents the loss of the heat generated by the heating in those rooms that are not going to be used and in which there is no sunlight.

In case you need artificial lighting, LED technology is the most efficient and, furthermore, it is easily programmable from multiple applications.

Better, energy efficient appliances

As far as possible, try to use appliances with high energy efficiency (A+++). Although its costs are usually higher, it is an interesting investment if the teleworking time is going to be extended over time.

Both in lighting and in the operation of equipment, it is necessary to try to turn off all electronic devices when they are not being used or at the end of the working day. Chargers plugs and keep in standby electronic equipment and small appliances can consume for many hours without realizing it.

Housework, in off-peak hours

The activities must be adjusted to the billing and consumption bands. Whether you have a flat rate for electricity and gas or not, it is best to analyze your consumption habits to make the adjustments that allow you to consume energy at the best rate times.

Being at home, you can schedule the best times for cooking and cleaning. By planning meals, you can rationalize the use of appliances and thus prevent the bill from skyrocketing.

Keep the temperature at home

In order to reduce heating consumption, the most important thing is to maintain a comfortable and stable temperature. For this, programmable thermostats (in the case of gas) or timed plugs (for electrical equipment) can be used.

In winter, it is advisable to keep the heating between 21ºC and 23ºC. If it is necessary to ventilate, when doing so there must not be a temperature difference of more than 10ºC with respect to the thermostat control temperature. In addition, a sudden change in temperature could cause health problems. It is advisable to never be below 14-15ºC.

You have to program the heating so that its ignition is efficient. For example, slightly ventilate the house for 15-20 minutes and then program the heating to the comfort temperature.

If you are going to be warm during the day and use only one or two rooms, you can optimize consumption by turning on the heating only when and where it is needed.

Choose the invoice that best suits your needs

Choosing the rates that best suit the working day, the activities and, above all, the power needed contributes to energy savings.

To calculate the necessary power, simply add the consumption of the appliances you have at home.

Once this information is obtained (and if there is a discrepancy with the current contracted consumption/power), the power company must be requested to reduce or increase the power according to the time slot. This will help adjust the consumption on the bill.

The correct rate will help savings.

Once again the pandemic recovers remote work during the winter. For this reason, it is advisable to apply these tips to save energy while telecommuting and thus prevent energy bills from skyrocketing.

Javier Martínez Moronta, University Professor at UNIR. BIM architect. Specialization in Energy Efficiency, UNIR – International University of La Rioja

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.