To wonder about the heating bills for WFH?

[CheetasOnFajitas]

It’s occurred to me, now that colder weather has set in and it looks like those who can do so will be WFH for the next 6 months- the heating bills are going to be through the roof!

Has anyone’s employer acknowledged that home-based employees are going to have to bear this cost? I know for some it will be offset by no commuting costs, but not for all: my husband and I cycle to work normally.

I do acknowledge that I am personally lucky to (a) have a job that can be done from home and (b) have a job at all.

My employer has taken quite a hit but kept all staff on full time and I'm pleased to have a job, so I'm not too bothered about heating cost (DH and I share a small office and have an oil filled radiator).

Were I working for an organisation who was not negatively impacted (retail head office maybe?) then I might feel differently!

To the pp who asked about most efficient electric heaters I find oil filled rads best as they mimic central heating in a room. The delonghi dragon ones with the super chimney effect were the best

I've WFH for 8 years and found keeping one room warm all day, 5 days a week made quite a difference to my bills compared with just the evenings and weekends. I took to working at the local university library and it makes such a difference. It's not just the heating costs, it's being around people and campus is lively during the darker months.

I'm dreading not having this.

Most people will be saving money by not going to work.

It really doesn't matter if you as an individual haven't saved an individual penny on clothing, travel, lunches, other costs associated with going to work.

Any system cannot factor in every single individuals gains from working at home. They can only make generalised decisions.

People who can only see their very individualised situation and who are determined to say they haven't saved a single penny sound pedantic and totally self obsessed rather than seeing themselves and their employer as being in a working relationship together. They will be the people who always insisit in leaving exactly on the dot of 5pm and are never willing under any circumstance to stay an extra 5 minutes. There is no sense of give and take at all. It just doesn't create a healthy working relationship.

Firms will either decide to pay staff some money for costs incurred or they won't. It cannot be based on one individual and what their individual costs or savings have been.

So if you want to enquire if your employer...just do it politely and in an enquiring way, don't whine about not saving money because you walk the 10 miles to work or have never spent a penny on work clothes.

@Figbee

There is a VERY good reason- the thought only occurred to me at half past 4 today and I decided to have a think about it and gather some opinions before “raising with management”

So you're going to speak to them and say well I've spoken to people on MN and am going to ask you if you'll give me money for my heating haha.

No, obviously not. I am a professional and not an idiot.

I looked at the £6 a month thing and understood it was a retrospective claim - do I have that wrong?

OP I am in NE Scotland and also worried about this! I walk to work and bring a packed lunch, so no saving there.

I brought one of those blankets with sleeves. In winter tend to leave the heating on low all the time to keep house at even temperature and my dads reckons that's cheaper than turning it off on on 🤷‍♀️

@BasinHaircut

Am I completely on my own in never having even considered the ‘additional costs’ of WFH?

Pre-Covid I already did 2 days per week at home and knew I could claim pennies for doing so from work but just never bothered as what I saved in travel those 2 days was just so much more.

We are now saving £400 a month on commuting costs and so if my bills go up a bit I’m ok with it. I refuse to sit at my desk in a dressing gown or wear loads of layers or wrap myself in blankets. I’ll just whack the heating up because life really is too short. But I too have by heating on a constant temp rather than blasting it morning and evening which is apparently more energy efficient anyway.

I know there are some people out there who genuinely will be out of pocket WFH - before I get jumped on - but I’m interested to know what you think the difference will be anyway.

really? I thought heating a albeit smallish whole house on a constant minimum would be more efficient cost and comfort wise

@Judystilldreamsofhorses

I looked at the £6 a month thing and understood it was a retrospective claim - do I have that wrong?

OP I am in NE Scotland and also worried about this! I walk to work and bring a packed lunch, so no saving there.

yes, you can claim it as you go along in batches but I'm just going to wait either until I go back to the office or the end of the financial year and then claim. It's tax relief on the amount of £6 a month, regardless of whether you've been paid it or not. What will probably happen is that they simply adjust your tax code going forward and you'll need to remember to inform them when you are no longer required to work at home. I don't think you can claim it if you voluntarily work at home.

really? I thought heating a albeit smallish whole house on a constant minimum would be more efficient cost and comfort wise

It's not as simple as that, there are many factors that influence whether it is cheaper one way or another. How efficient your boiler is, how well your house is insulated, the size of your house, how high the heating is etc etc.

So if you want to enquire if your employer...just do it politely and in an enquiring way, don't whine about not saving money because you walk the 10 miles to work or have never spent a penny on work clothes.

Why would you assume I would enquire in any way other than politely? Or, indeed, make an enquiry which referenced my own individual needs.

I'm so annoyed at this thread.
There were no complaints when the weather was good, it was all about peoples better work life balance and how they were saving money by not travelling to work. The first cold day and suddenly people are complaining that work should pay them to heat their own homes to their personally preferred temperature. As if everyone in an open plan office was happy with the temperature anyway.
Seriously. Be grateful you have a job and you are healthy and stop moaning the absolute second things aren't to your advantage.

@Waveysnail

I brought one of those blankets with sleeves. In winter tend to leave the heating on low all the time to keep house at even temperature and my dads reckons that's cheaper than turning it off on on 🤷‍♀️

Slankets are amazing. Genius invention!

People who can only see their very individualised situation and who are determined to say they haven't saved a single penny sound pedantic and totally self obsessed rather than seeing themselves and their employer as being in a working relationship together.

It's because I think my employer and I should be in a working relationship that I'd like my employer to acknowledge my increased costs of working from home. I'm working in a corner of my living space in a far from ideal set-up for more hours than I normally do because my job takes longer to do at home than it would in the office. At the moment it is all me giving and my employer taking. To actually have to pay more for the privilege of doing this, really sticks in my throat.

There were no complaints when the weather was good

There is a reason for that.

Heating bills aren't generally an issue when the weather is good

@Bwlch

There were no complaints when the weather was good

There is a reason for that.

Heating bills aren't generally an issue when the weather is good

Ha, yes, this. We are on a massively reduced income because DP has been made redundant, so I am really concerned about it. Plus I absolutely hate working from home.

Controlling the heating is another benefit of working from home. My office was so overheated in the winter I had a fan running.

Put a vest and jumper on

I want to bang my head against a wall seeing people TELLING YOU you’re saving on travel costs. OP do you not wish you’d mentioned in your OP that you’re not? Oh ... wait.

We have no radiators on the walls atm as we are decorating and I’ve had success with a small fan heater in the room I’m working in with the door closed. It heats up very very quickly and I end up having to turn it off. I know you said you’d need to buy one but could you try and source a freebie? People are constantly giving away stuff around here.

There’s no perfect solution to this and I do feel and understand your frustration.

Ime overall is a gain. I value my time a lot and so saving time travel is also a benefit in my eyes.

+1

Even a "modest" 1 hr commute (so 2 hrs a day) gives you back 10 hours a week. How much is that worth ?

This is where for once the bloody storage heaters are going to pay off for us.

Our flat is toasty during the day in winter, normally for no purpose. I do try to wait til November to tuen them on though, so October will involve layers and lots of tea.

Op what about the other costs such as electricity to power up your laptop? Suppose you'll try and claim that from your employer too.

I've just bought an oodie and a heated throw in preparation for this. Thankfully my job doesn't involve too many zoom calls!

I want to bang my head against a wall seeing people TELLING YOU you’re saving on travel costs. OP do you not wish you’d mentioned in your OP that you’re not? Oh ... wait.
@ilovebedtimestories right , you know people mean the collective you as in you those who work from home. Not specifically the OP.

Really? All of them?

You are saving on travel / commuring expenses. Use that !