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.
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.
Can I deduct my energy bills from tax when working from home?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ATO has put in place a special shortcut method for claiming working from home expenses, including your energy bill. We've broken this method down for you here.
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
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
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.
Tasmania-based Aurora Energy is a good choice for those looking for a small energy provider that offers some useful discounts and is fully GreenPower accredited.
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