Ditching your commute for a home office may seem like a great way to save money, but working from home isn’t entirely free. Running computers, office equipment, heating/cooling equipment, and lighting all day as opposed to just the few morning and evening hours in a day will increase your utility bills.

While most of us shut off the lights and turn down the air when we leave for work, when working from home, these and other large energy draws are run all day. Increasing this energy draw with a regularly used home office will surely increase your utility bills. But there are things that we can do so that working from home doesn’t mean your home has to work overtime.

Equipment

• Plug equipment into a power strip so that you can cut power to several pieces of equipment at one time. This way energy isn’t wasted on equipment that is not in use.
  • Fact: According to Energy Star, 75% of a home’s energy is used by electronics that aren’t even on since electricity still flows to the equipment even when it isn’t being used.

• Use Energy Star office equipment. Check it out here.
  • Reminder: Energy Star computers and monitors only save energy when the power saving mode is on, so remember to set this feature up in your computer’s operating system.

• Buy a laptop! They are about 0.1% of your annual electricity consumption compared to the 1.5% that a desk top computer uses.

• According to EnergyStar.com, you can save over 75% of your energy usage and cost simply by using Energy Star stamped appliances:

Around the House:
Be conscious of the fact that additional heat, air conditioning, and electricity will used because you are home during the day:

• Heat and air condition only the rooms in use.
• Use lights only where needed.
• Screen savers don’t actually save energy, instead shut your monitor off or put it in sleep mode.
• Leaving equipment on does not use less energy than turning it on and off. Older computers used much more energy to turn on and off, but that is no longer the case.

Misconceptions:
Working from home does not have to mean a huge increase in energy use and subsequently utility costs. Taking simple steps, such as using power strips and efficient office equipment, should relieve some of the added stress to your home’s energy needs. Next time you step into your home office to work, remember how much harder your home has to work too.

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