José and I enjoy the luxury of working from home. There’s something wonderful about being your own boss and having the flexibility to work when your energy levels are high.
Working from home is better for the environment as you don’t have to travel to an office on a daily basis. However, if you work from home you might find your energy bills go up. You still need to be conscious of your energy consumption if you want to save money and reduce your impact on the environment.
There are lots of ways to reduce your energy footprint when working from you. All it takes is a little thought, preparation and an awareness of the energy you are consuming on a daily basis. Here are 14 ways to save energy when working from home.
1. Switch your laptop off
Turn off your laptop and any appliances when you are not using them. Constantly leaving your computer or laptop on standby, as well as other electrical devices can drain a huge amount of energy. When you finish working for the day getting into the habit of turning everything off.
2. Use LED lighting
Check the lightbulbs in your office at home and if they are old replace them with LED bulbs. Paul at Saving Light Bulbs says “LED light bulbs are far more energy efficient and will last for years”.
3. Wrap up warm
Instead of turning the heating up when you work from home put some layers on. Your heating bills will go through the roof if you have the heating on during the day when you work from home all the time.
4. Only boil the water you need
Remember you are only making tea for yourself, not the entire office at work. Every time you make yourself a cuppa be aware of how much you fill up the kettle. Don’t constantly boil more water than you need.
5. Recycle paper
Have a recycle bin in your office at home and make a conscious effort to recycle as much as possible. Use both sides of each piece of paper if possible to reduce the amount of paper you use.
6. Have video meetings
Instead of having someone come and visit you at home, or travelling long distances to visit clients try and have video meetings instead.
7. Let the sunshine in
Don’t forget to open your windows and blinds in the morning, this will let more natural light in. The sunlight will keep your house warmer so you want need the heating on as much. According to the Channel 4 website “Daylight energises us, affects our mood and breathes life into the interiors of our homes”
8. Make sure your home is well insulated
Check that your home is well insulated so that it retains as much heat as possible. A drafty house with poor insulation will lose a lot heat and require far more energy to stay warm.
9. Buy energy-efficient office equipment
When you stock up on office equipment try and buy eco friendly products. Go for equipment that is energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
10. Be aware of your energy usage
One of the best ways to save energy is simply to be aware of your energy usage. Be considerate and only use what you need.
11. Be productive and work smarter
The more productive you are the less amount of time you will have to work each day. Work smarter not harder and organise your time effectively.
12. Condense your gadgets
Do you really need 15 different gadgets for work? Go through your numerous smart phones, tablets, laptops, computers and work equipment and review what you actually need.
13. Work in a cafe
Working from home all day every day can sometimes get a bit much. You can go a bit house crazy, sometimes it’s good to change your environment. Spend a few days a month working in a nearby cafe and you will also save yourself a few days worth of energy.
Very useful tips here Corinne. Most of the times we overlook the fact that these devices have not been turned off much after we’re done with using them. It really makes sense to be vigilent, more so when you’re working from home.
I like your idea of taking a break and going to a cafe nearby and working from there.
Vinodini Iyer recently posted..A Birthday that made me Rich!
Yes, we tend to switch off the gadget but not the main – leading to leakages of energy.
Let me know if the cafe idea works for you, Vinodini.
Corinne Rodrigues recently posted..A Struggle Against Silence: My Writing Process Blog Hop
WFH stands for “Work for(not From) office” 😀
Meena Menon recently posted..Why the Caged Bird Sings…
Hmmm….. 🙂
Corinne Rodrigues recently posted..A Struggle Against Silence: My Writing Process Blog Hop
Very timely post Corinne ! Specially since I too work from home.
Glad you liked it, Kalpana.
Corinne Rodrigues recently posted..A Struggle Against Silence: My Writing Process Blog Hop
Corrine, you could work with Danny! 🙂 He is the energy guru around here, both at his job and at home. You gave some great tips for folks on how to conserve energy and save money. I hope your readers will follow through. And, yes, I love being able to work at home.
Blessings!
Martha Orlando recently posted..Birds of the Air
I do remember that about Danny, Martha. 🙂
Corinne Rodrigues recently posted..A Struggle Against Silence: My Writing Process Blog Hop
Great suggestions, Corinne! I work from home as well and need to put a few more of those points into practice. Thank you for the ideas!
Laurel Regan recently posted..Tangled Tuesday No. 6
Wonderful tips that I will be putting into practice! Thank you! So good to see you posting again! ♥♥3
Kathy Combs recently posted..Feeling Good
Hi. Thanks for this one. I did have a query. Its probably a simple answer but I was just wondering about the “boil as much water as needed only” point. Was it from the electricity saving point of view or something else?
roshan r recently posted..Who’s gonna win the FIFA 2014 World Cup?
Wonderful tips, Corinne! I used to keep my laptop on standby when not working from morning till night. The poor guy got some rest only at night. But then it started getting too heated up… so now I am religiously shutting it down when I am taking breaks. Hitting two birds with one stone, retrospectively! 😛
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I am guilty of leaving the computer on standby for a long time, even when I’m not working. I think multitasking consumes more energy. We leave the lights on in every room as we’re flitting from one to another and the T.V, computer and other devices are all on at the same time.
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Hi Corinne,
That’s a load of ways about bringing our electric bills down.
Thanks for the inputs.
BTW ,I guess every body here knows what i didn’t till recently.
Which is ,that all electric household gadgets are calibrated in “star rating”.
The more the stars ,the higher the power efficiency of that device and the lesser the electricity consumed.That also means a lighter bill at month end.
So most electric gadgets including fridges ,fans,geysers,ACs etc are given ratings
from 1 to 5.
A rating of 5 is the most efficient.
Thanks
Mona
Thanks for the great tips. Even though I’m retired and don’t work from home, they still apply to anyone who spends lots of time at home. Appreciate the pointers.
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One added benefit, Corinne, is the less energy you have to use to get to work – car, pertrol, traffic, etc.
i too work from home and have always found my biggest challenge to be staying and sticking to my to do list and day to day schedule. It’s so easy to be lax about things that need to be done when not in a formal office setting.
I definitely get out to cafes or libraries to do a bit of my work.
I think the biggest savings in working from home are the reduction in petrol consumption and car wear-and-tear, and the time on the daily commute, not to forget reduction in stress!
Tip 13 is interesting! I must try it some time.
Tips 3 and 7 may not be relevant for many places in India. We need ways to avoid heat!
Proactive Indian recently posted..Unbelievable! Renewed passport received within 2 days!
Those are a lot of great tips. I hadn’t thought about many of them.
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I argue that this stuff should be done anywhere and anytime, not just for telecommuters! In the evenings, turn on one little work light and put on socks and a sweater so you don’t have a house full of light and heat. If it’s hot during the day, close up the house in the morning and then open everything up once the sun goes down and encourage cross-ventilation to cool everything down. And at work, encourage people not to use paper plates. 🙂
Quite a wonderful post with some ready to implement ideas as well. Looking forward to sitting down some day and preparing an action plan for each even for everyday living.
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