Small businesses will force employees to work from home to save on energy bills

The ongoing energy crisis has been hard for smaller businesses as they struggle to pay the energy bills of their workplaces and offices. New research from Smart Energy GB, a smart meter company, found that 30% of companies have considered temporarily closing and forcing their employees to work from home, in order to save on energy. Energy bills are expected to continue rising in the coming months, while the global energy market has been hit by the record high wholesale gas prices, which has resulted in many suppliers in the UK going bust.

If your employer decides to impose mandatory teleworking, this would mean that you will face higher energy bills since your energy consumption at home will increase. In this article you find what was found by the research and tips on how to lower your energy bills at home.

A third of small firms could move to home office due to high energy bills

Around 1 000 small businesses participated in the survey performed by Smart Energy GB. The findings show that 62% are concerned the rise in energy costs is going to affect their ability to run their business this winter and 30% are considering asking their employees to work from home.

Iagan MacNeil from Smart Energy GB said: “Small businesses are the beating heart of the British economy but it is clear concerns about energy use are affecting how many of them will continue to operate this winter.”

The respondents estimate that they are overpaying with more £900 of energy per year, with 85% suspecting employees are more energy conscious at home rather than work. Due to this, businesses are now having to become more energy efficient and 91% are starting to ask their staff to be more mindful when using energy and devices at work.

In a separate survey of 1,000 workers, 74% admitted they spend more attention on their energy use at home rather than in their workplace. 57% of employees said that they are trying to save energy for their employer by changing the way they use energy.

However, the survey found that 42% do not care about the energy bills that their companies are paying and 60% charge their phones at work to save on bills at home, while 29% shower at work. All of this has resulted in small businesses having to reconsider their energy consumption and daily operations.

How to lower your energy consumption when working from home?

Energy bills are a big portion of your monthly liabilities and especially now that the energy prices have been skyrocketing. Working from home can result in even higher monthly bills since you will be using electricity all day, while when you are at the office, your daily consumption at home is lower. There are still ways that can help you lower your energy bills while working from home.

Should you switch to a cheaper supplier now?

There are many suppliers and different tariffs that you can choose from and get a better deal. Usually, the best way to approach this is to compare energy tariffs, find the cheapest supplier, and switch your current provider for a new one. However, due to the ongoing energy market crisis, many suppliers are going bust and others are struggling to sustain their businesses. As the situation is still unclear and is changing with every day, it is not known which suppliers will stay on the market and which will go bust. Therefore, it is best to wait and see how the situation will develop and make a better informed decision when choosing which supplier you should switch to.

Switch off devices on standby mode

Switching off any devices that are left on standby mode, can also save energy and therefore lower your bills. In fact, devices on standby can use up to 80% as much energy as when you use them. Another thing you should keep in mind is the heating you use during the cold months. Heating accounts for 40% of the monthly bills. Therefore, to save some money you can reduce your thermostat usage and rely on cosy clothes instead.

Install a smart meter

If you want to go the extra mile and be able to track your real energy usage and make sure you are not overpaying, you can install a smart meter. Your energy consumption is directly sent to your supplier. This means you will never have to worry about inaccurately calculated energy bills.