The energy shock is bringing a marked increase in electricity and gas bills across Europe. What effects will this have on the appeal of smart working? The rise in bills undoubtedly makes it more expensive to work remotely between the PC and printer on, daily consumption of energy and gas for heating and cooking.
Workers could therefore re-evaluate their preferences for smart working and be more incentivized to go to the office. In this regard, a price comparison site, Uswitch showed that the workers of the City of London by going to the office every day could save around 50 pounds ($ 60) a week in January 2023 if they can walk or cycle to work. This is thanks to the money saved by not heating the house all day.
According to Bloomberg, those who work from home in January could pay around £ 175 a week for energy and other ancillary costs, such as buying coffee, which is usually free in many offices. The combined cost of energy bills – taking into account expected lower consumption – and five round-trip tube journeys from London’s zone 4 would be around £ 160 per week in January 2023, saving £ 15. For those taking the bus, the total cost is around £ 140, saving £ 35 a week. In both cases, any increase in the cost of commuting will affect these savings.
Uswitch estimates that the average monthly energy bill could reach 683 pounds in January for those who work at home, compared to 492 for those who go to the office. Furthermore, remote workers are assumed to use 25% more electricity and 75% more gas per day, including central heating.
In addition to the cost of traveling from home to work, another central element, subjective and not quantifiable, is the perceived well-being of working from home.