Working From Home Energy Costs: An extra $300 to your bill

The number of Australians working from home has doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to the University of Sydney's 2020 Transport Opinion Survey. If you're one of these people, you might have noticed your most recent energy bills have been higher than you're used to.

How much extra do you spend on energy when working from home?

When you're at home, you foot the bill for all the energy you use that would normally be covered by your employer. So how much would one person working from home add to their energy bill every 3 months? We've crunched the numbers and found that one person could add an extra:

$340 in summer

When you add up:

Home office
Entertainment
Kitchen use
Aircon

$324 in winter

When you add up:

Home office
Entertainment
Kitchen use
Heating

Unless stated otherwise, the costs of each device was derived were derived from Ausgrid's appliance usage guide this guide. Ausgrid is one the main electricity distributors in New South Wales.To ensure the costs were up to date, we took the the hourly cost of each appliance and weighted it up to current costs. In 2015 the average usage rate was 20.2c/kWh. We've recalculated using 26c/kWh - the rough average usage charge of all states. Therefore an appliance that costs 2 cents an hour in 2015 would cost 2.6 cents an hour in 2020.
Finally, each appliance was assigned a set number of hours per day for someone working from home, which was multiplied by its per hour usage rate and the number of days in 3 months to get the quarterly usage value.
Note: If you have more than one person working from home, these costs would likely go up.

Home office costs: $35.90 (if you use a laptop)

	Hourly cost	Daily cost	Quarterly cost
Laptop (8 hours)⁽¹⁾	1.3 cents	10.4 cents	$9.40
Desktop computer (8 hours)	2.6 cents	20.8 cents	$18.80
1 full phone charge⁽²⁾	N/A	0.26 cents	$0.23
Office/living room lights (5 halogen lights, 4 hours)	7.1 cents	28.3 cents	$25.47

Entertainment: $13.91

	Daily cost	Quarterly cost
Medium flat-screen television (4 hours)	13.4 cents	$12.06
Speakers (4 hours)	2.06 cents	$1.85

Kitchen: $41.34

	Daily cost	Quarterly cost
Microwave (10 minutes)	4.3 cents	$3.90
Electric oven (30 minutes)	27.3 cents	$24.56
Electric cooktop (15 minutes)	14.3 cents	$12.86

Heating/cooling an extra 4 hours a day: $233.80 to $250.20

	Daily cost	Quarterly cost
Heating (electric, extra 4 hours)⁽³⁾	$2.60	$233.80
Cooling (extra 4 hours)⁽⁴⁾	$2.78	$250.20

How can I save on energy when working from home?

Here are three things you can do to cut your power consumption when working from home:

Heat or cool for one hour less per day. As you can see from our analysis above, heating and cooling are the worst offenders when it comes to energy costs. Running your aircon for one hour less could save you about $50 every quarter, or adjusting your thermostat a couple of degrees higher or lower could save about the same.
Disable standby mode. Electronic devices continue to use a small amount of power when plugged in, but not in active use. Luckily, modern energy standards mean this passive consumption is pretty low, but turning things off at the wall can save you money nonetheless.
Change energy plans. If you're like most Australians, chances are you aren't on the cheapest energy plan available to you. Comparing providers and switching could help you save on your energy bill, even while using the same amount of extra energy working from home.

What can I do if I'm struggling with paying my energy bills?

There are two main types of assistance for customers who are struggling with their energy bills during the coronavirus period and beyond:

Government energy grants. The federal and state governments provide various grants for low-income families, concession card holders and more.

Learn more about energy

Our energy guides can help you compare and understand what plan is best for you.

Best energy plans: 5 plans selected by our experts, assessed and updated regularly

Cheap energy plans: Find the cheapest energy plans available this month

Solar power plans: Got rooftop solar? Compare your options and save even more

Average energy bill: Find out how your energy bill compares to the rest of Australia

Thank you for your feedback!

Written by

Sam Baran

Writer

Sam Baran is a writer for Finder, covering topics across the tech, telco and utilities sectors. They enjoy decrypting technical jargon and helping people compare complex products easily. When they aren't writing, you'll find Sam's head buried in a book or working on their latest short story. Sam has a Bachelor of Advanced Science from the University of Sydney. See full bio

More resources on Finder

Australian-owned energy companies in 2025 What is the average electricity and gas bill in Australia?

More guides on Finder

Arcline by RACV energy plans and review
Arcline by RACV offers electricity plans to Victorians that can be carbon offset. Find out if the energy provider matches your requirements.
Cheap energy plans
Compare the cheapest electricity and gas plans available in your state.
9 electricity and gas sign-up deals available for April 2025
Switch energy providers and take advantage of energy deals including credits and points.
Amber Electric plans and review
Find out if having access to wholesale power rates through Amber Electric is right for you.
Compare gas, electricity and internet bundles in Australia
Take the hassle out of signing up with different providers by bundling your energy and internet and claiming a discount.
Energy Locals review
Energy Locals offer reasonably priced electricity plans that are 100% carbon neutral at no extra cost.
Compare gas and electricity providers in Perth and WA
Most Western Australia residents can't switch electricity providers but have a few options when it comes to gas. Find out if you can switch energy retailers.
Powershop review
Buy your electricity with Powershop and get flexible power options, green-friendly energy and online discounts.
Sumo Energy electricity plans and review
Sumo provides electricity, gas and broadband to homes and businesses in Victoria and parts of NSW.
Momentum Energy review
Our verdict: Momentum Energy is a solid option if you’re searching for a green energy provider as well as reasonably priced plans in NSW, VIC, SA or QLD.

What are the extra electricity costs of working from home?

Working from home could see you spend up to $340 more per quarter on their energy bills.

How much extra do you spend on energy when working from home?

$340 in summer

$324 in winter

Home office costs: $35.90 (if you use a laptop)

Entertainment: $13.91

Kitchen: $41.34

Heating/cooling an extra 4 hours a day: $233.80 to $250.20

How can I save on energy when working from home?

What can I do if I'm struggling with paying my energy bills?

Learn more about energy

Sam Baran

More guides on Finder

What are the extra electricity costs of working from home?

Working from home could see you spend up to $340 more per quarter on their energy bills.

How much extra do you spend on energy when working from home?

$340 in summer

$324 in winter

About these numbers

Home office costs: $35.90 (if you use a laptop)

More details

Entertainment: $13.91

More details

Kitchen: $41.34

More details

Heating/cooling an extra 4 hours a day: $233.80 to $250.20

More details

How can I save on energy when working from home?

What can I do if I'm struggling with paying my energy bills?

Learn more about energy

Sam Baran

More guides on Finder

Important information about this website

Advertiser disclosure

How we make money

Sorting and ranking products

Terms of service and privacy policy