Have you found yourself working from home (WFH) more often?

The WFH revolution has arrived. The pandemic has changed the way workplaces operate and it's looking like these changes are here to stay. Not to say this is a bad thing, for many it's great! More flexibility, less time in traffic, work in your pyjamas, what's not to like?

But regardless of whether it's your preferred option, in many cases, it's the only option. So let's break it down. If we're working from, let's do it right.

If you’re finding yourself working from home more than ever, you may have also noticed an increase in your electricity bills. Is it any wonder though, when we consider our phones, internet, lighting, water, heating/cooling, charging points being more in-use during the daytime?

Managing WFH costs

To offset some WFH costs, it’s important that you become more conscious of what you’re using and start making smarter choices when it comes to the use of resources.

We’ve pulled together 8 ways listed below so you can reduce your energy usage or carbon footprint and hopefully help make WFH costs more manageable.

1. Think about the space you’re using 🤔

If you’re WFH alone – think about what other spaces in the house are not in use. Turn off charging points, lights and fans/heaters in those rooms.

In the cooler months, keep the doors closed and the blinds open to allow the sun to come through. In the warmer months, keep the blinds closed and the doors open.

2. Time your charging ⏰

Depending on how often your phone and computer runs out of battery, think about optimal charging times throughout the day.

If you have renewable energy options in the home then having them charging through the daylight hours makes sense. If you’re using energy from the grid then charging them during off-peak times will help you keep your costs lower.

3. Consider installing rooftop solar and batteries ☀️

If you haven’t already done so, explore your rooftop solar and battery storage options.

This way you can make the most of the renewable energy usage while you’re working from home and you’re able to use less from the grid.

4. Seal the gaps in your home 💨

This is a relatively easy and cheap DIY job you can do! Reducing the airflow through your home will help you feel a lot more comfortable and can save you money on heating and cooling.

In the summer months, try to open windows instead of using fans or sit in the cooler parts of your house.

5. Control your hot water usage 🛁 

At around 30% of your energy use, hot water usage is the number one thing to look at when you want to increase the energy efficiency of your home.

The most obvious solution is to use less hot water. You can do this by taking shorter hot showers, washing your clothes in cold water or at least no hotter than 30 degrees and installing water-efficient showerheads.

6. Reduce food waste 🍌

Did you know that an estimated one-third of the food produced in the world is either lost or wasted? Food waste that ends up in landfill creates methane, which is an even stronger greenhouse gas than carbon.

Food requires a lot of energy to get it from where it is grown to us - and the process along the way requires energy and creates carbon emissions through manufacturing, processing, repackaging, labelling and transporting.

7. Do an energy audit or work with Enova's free energy coaches 👍

You can do your own energy audit at home, or it could be helpful to use one of our Energy Coaches (they're awesome!).

Our not-for-profit arm Enova Community has a dedicated team of volunteers who are passionate about helping households to reduce their energy consumption.

Whether your motivation is to save money or to reduce your carbon footprint, they can help, with advice customised to your home and energy needs. You don't need to have a particular issue or question to request a call - just click the button below to learn more and get started.

Energy efficiency for economic and environmental benefits

Remember that it’s often the smallest things that can make a huge difference to our carbon footprint and our wallets.

For more energy efficiency tips, click here.