Brits still working from home this winter facing hundreds more in energy bills
The post-pandemic work from home honeymoon could end this winter with Brits having to pay hundreds more in energy bills to heat their homes.
Research has shown it is cheaper for workers to go back to their desks, than to heat their homes while working in them, to the tune of almost £200 a month.
Data from Uswitch showed on average, the increase in energy bills for homeworkers would be £139 extra in November of this year, £143 more in December, and an eye-watering addition of £191 in January.
For the first month of 2023, anyone continuing to work from the comfort of their house can expect their bill to total £683, compared to £492, if they chose to head back into the workplace.
This comes as energy bills are set to rise to in excess of £4,000 a year, with the government being urged to take action – including by imposing a windfall tax on the vast profits of producers.
Yesterday, Ofgem, the energy regulator, was threatened with legal action by the Good Law Project over its ‘failure’ to protect vulnerable customers.
The average monthly cost of working from home compared to going into the office, not including travel, would be a difference of £60 in October, £148 in November and £152 in December, according to the data.
“Having the heating on during the colder months will be the biggest contributor to higher energy bills for those working from home”, said Will Owen, energy expert at Uswitch.com.
“Being at home throughout the day often also means using extra gas and electricity for cooking, making cups of tea, televisions and computers.
“The amount of extra energy households use will vary from home to home, but assuming a household with medium annual usage is at home for an extra 50 hours per week, we’ve estimated that they could use around 25 per cent more electricity and 75 per cent more gas per day this winter.
“Across the whole of 2022, it could mean bills for people on Standard Variable Tariffs working from home are £708 higher than those working in an office.
“For most people who don’t have a significant commute, working from the office is likely to be much more economical this winter.”