Despite having to get up earlier, commute, and the heightened risk of Covid-19 transmission in the workplace, almost five million UK employees are considering ditching working from home completely, due to concerns around rising energy costs.
Research by Electric Radiators Direct has revealed that almost half (49%) of UK employees (that have worked remotely in some capacity since the pandemic hit) say the energy price hike is ‘highly’ impacting their choice of working location.
The October 2021 energy price cap increase caused the cost of working from home, which includes the average cost of running appliances and devices such as a computer, to reach £90.64 per month or £1,088 per year. In comparison, the average Brit working fulltime in the office spends just £64 a month commuting.
The new price cap increase, which will come into effect from April 2022, is expected to see the cost of working from home rise even further, reaching £125.48 per month, or £1,505 a year. That’s a 38% increase since October 2021. Overall, working from home could cost Brits £60 more per month than it would cost for them to commute into the office.
Currently, Brits can claim £6 per week tax relief from the government on job expenses, which includes gas and electricity costs while working from home. But even when factoring this in, many remote workers may still be better off commuting in, as working from home would still cost about £36 extra per month. Multiple people in the same household can claim the tax relief if working remotely, however, which could help lower the costs.
Amid rising concerns, an additional £150 council tax rebate has been announced by the Government and will be available for about 80% of households.
Almost half of those surveyed (48%) said they will be more mindful of their overall energy consumption now costs are higher, and almost a fifth (19%) said they will invest in smart heating solutions to better monitor energy usage in the coming months.
Workers in the South East are most likely to be concerned about their energy consumption while working from home, with over half (51%) of respondents saying they will be more mindful of the energy they consume, followed closely by those in the South West (50%) and Scotland (49%).
Those working in the Environmental Industries (89%), Business (78%) and Events Management (78%) have been most highly influenced by the increasing energy costs when choosing their working location.
