The Energy Crisis and working from Home — Does this really work?
As bills continue to rise, the financial implications of working from home are going to become more evident as the year unfolds…
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The Energy crisis — After a few years of living in lockdowns, many workers and company owners no longer want to be stuck in the office, 9–5, five days a week — more and more people want to create life—work balance…
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So, to help keep the cost of living down for so many. We have a special offer just for you — The lovely team at Octopus Energy will give our readers £50 for switching (that’s you!).
Just click on the link below to claim the offer and sign up…
And full disclosure, we'll get a small contribution too, thanks! It really does help us to keep the lights on here at The Entertainment Engine podcast, all powered by green energy from Octopus Energy of course.
If you don't want the deal, or just want to learn more here's their website instead. You can always come back later.
However, the energy crisis has increased the costs of living and may threaten our ability to work from the comfort of our own spaces as the year unfolds.
This is reflected in recent data from Uswitch, which has found that remote workers use 75% more gas per day than those that head to the office, and 25% more electricity each day — Really?
As bills continue to rise, the financial implications of working from home are going to become more evident as time goes by.
So what can we do to optimize working from home to ensure it remains a viable option for so many people?
Saving on the bills:
Turn off unnecessary heating timers and manually turn them on when you get cold so that you are only using what is needed at that time.
Try to act on needs rather than your routine so that in turn you only spend when it’s required.
Most WFH (Working from Home) appliances hold an energy-saving setting. Activating this mode on devices such as laptops, phones, and hair dryers, can save up to 10% over the course of the year.
And when you take breaks during the day avoid leaving all your appliances on, instead, put them to sleep or turn them off.
Using the eco settings on dishwashers, boilers, and washing machines will help to contribute to saving money whilst you are working from home.
Flexible working:
Becky who has worked from home for many years, suggests adding up the costs of working from home vs being in the office, including things like travel, and childcare, so you ‘have a real picture of your personal circumstances’.
‘If it looks like it would be cheaper for you to switch to working in the office, even just a few more days a week, talk to your employer about the prospect of coming into the office more and establish a hybrid working pattern going forward,’ she adds.
Alternative office spaces:
‘WFH (Working from home) isn’t always cost-effective given rising energy bills,’ David says. ‘Subscriptions to co-working spaces local to individuals offer an affordable, flexible solution.’
Support:
Maggie & Pete — suggests talking to your employers about additional support available if you have no other option than to work from home full-time.
‘There is already some help available from employers, although it won’t cover the exponential rise in energy bills,’ they explain.
‘Under existing legislation, your employer can already either pay you up to £6 per week to cover additional costs from working from home, or this can be deducted from your taxable income.
‘It’s also worth noting that if you had to work from home during the pandemic and you haven’t applied for tax relief for this time, it can still be backdated.’
Octopus Energy:
Being Britain’s most awarded energy supplier is about a whole lot more than cheaper deals. Octopus is transforming the industry: building tech to make energy greener, fairer, and genuinely better for people around the world.
With the energy sector in crisis, and countless suppliers going bust, you need to be able to trust that we’re here to stay and we’ll do what’s right.
So, to help keep the cost of living down for so many. We have a special offer just for you — The lovely team at Octopus Energy will give our readers £50 for switching (that’s you!).
Just click on the link below to claim the offer and sign up…
Here are a few things you should know.
Our prices are fair: so much so that right now we’re not making a profit:
In normal times, we only charge you for what it costs us to supply your power, with 5% on top to cover our business costs.
Customers who stick with us, save (£1,151 in five years):
An average Octopus customer who fixed their prices with us back when we launched in August 2016 and then rolled onto and stayed on our standard variable tariff up to the present day would’ve saved £1151 over the years, vs them doing the same with a Big 6 supplier…
In hard times, we look after people:
We were the only energy supplier who kept answering phones as normal during the first lockdown. We’ll always be here to give customers the help they need.
Mental health:
Working from home is clearly very important for many employees’ mental health.
‘As the cost-of-living crisis continues, employees are facing increasing financial pressures,’ says Paula Allen, a global leader and senior vice-president of research and total wellbeing at LifeWorks.
‘Energy, public transport, petrol, and food are the highest it’s ever been in 13 years and while the obvious solution to ease financial worries would be to offer pay settlements in line with rising inflation rates, for many employers this is not possible and fails to address the root of mental health concerns for employees.’
Paula suggests that employers should consider support packages in this period, such as financial well-being support, including educating employees on these rising costs…
Lifestyle benefits like gym memberships, health insurance, and travel support can also help protect employees' mental health, she explains.
‘By promoting flexible working opportunities, employees can cut on commuting costs,’ Paula adds.
‘The best thing is to make sure that mental health and well-being are supported before economic uncertainty or any other crisis comes along’.
With so many people working from home, this has become the norm, and in fact, it probably helps people become more motivated and fresh in the work environment which provides a positive work-life balance — which has got to be a good thing going forward, and don’t forget to claim you offer with Octopus Energy…
By Peter Moore & Rebecca Gregory— Seamless Entertainment
