wfh - a cause of huge rise in cost of gas and electricity price

[lightand]

I cant remember which threads I posted on yesterday and the day before[I cant seem to work out the search facility on here well enough] saying that I thought that the huge rise in worldwide wholesale prices was in big part, caused by working from home.
So I have started this thread.

Will send two links.

www.cliffordtalbot.co.uk/energy-prices/

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11158743/Britons-shun-office-pay-extra-2-500-year-energy-costs-warn-experts.html

The worldwide cost of electricy and gas [blue lines on 1st link] on the wholesale market, started summer 2020.
After covid started. And people worldwide were in their homes a lot more.

Neither of the links you've posted support that statement.

You think it's due to us wfh and not, er, the ukraine conflict and us not having access to the russian gas pipeline?

Those links don't say energy price increases are caused by people working from home though?

The Daily Mail hate anyone working from home anyway, even though Peter Hitchens works from his home in Florida.

To find threads you've posted on you can just click 'I'm on' rather than use the search.

As the daily mail article says, the russian element is part.

Have you looked at the first link where it clearly shows the rise in the worldwide cost? And starting in the year 2020?

The UK doesn't use Russian gas

Its nothing to do with WFH but there will be a connection in that people who were WFH or wanted to, will now suddenly start wanting to come back in the office for their convenience.

Never mind people that have worked through and are always there 'oh can you just print this off for me as you're in the office', 'oh is anyone in the office I need x, y, z done for me'

Tried the I'm on I think. But will give it another go thanks.

I think both links are quite clear.

Up to others what they think.

All rather obvious to me.

Correlation doesn't imply causation as my old teacher always said.

I really don't think this has anything to do with it.

Besides for a lot of people it will still work out cheaper to wfh under a heated throw than pay commuting costs and the inevitable temptations of the canteen/ pret/ Starbucks

100 people all working together in an office, or 100 individual homes needing extra energy. Well 50 in some cases if two people wfh.
Extra demand.
And multiply that around lots of countries in the world.

There will be an increase in travel costs if not wfh, yes.

What utter bilge.

Nice try, Putin.

A nice image!!

'Hold on comrades, I'll be with you in a sec, just posting on that mumsnet again'

Worldwide demand for gas and electricty has shot up since Jan 2020. Covid. People wfh.
Can link graphs but some seem to love to believe otherwise. Strange.

Yes!!! And that explains why the price of petrol and diesel has PLUMMETED since 2020, because nobody is commuting any more!!!!

Oh, wait...

If you look at the first graph, you can see, going back years, that the worldwide wholesale price of oil bears little resemblance at all to the price of gas and electricty.

That was a surprise to me too.

Global markets passed you by then?

Cue the moans (from some) that they can't possibly afford to heat their working space whilst working from home, and they therefore need a pay rise from their employers 😡

I'm inclined to disagree. I dislike how hot the office is, and tend to not have heating on when WFH even in winter (house is, frankly, very energy efficient and warm, so doesn't need it in the daytime). Has to be an external temp consistently below 5°for a few days to need daytime heat, which we often don't get here (sunny south)

Skimmed the DM article, and it's obviously bashing WFH, but I can see that using energy for an extra 35+ hours a week is going to increase home energy costs. Not sure if it's responsible for an overall increase in demand. My daughter started working in a large office block - lights on all the time, lifts up and down, heating, air con etc in the background before you even start with costing running PCs and switching the kettle on. They now have one small office in a shared building. Same with where I work - downsizing to a smaller building next month.

For me, the saving in fuel costs probably offset the cost of extra energy use at home. Not many other savings for me, but my daughter is better off not needing a work wardrobe, not buying lunches and coffees and less likely to buy a takeaway after work.

And it didn't cause you to question whether the bigger picture might be slightly more nuanced than your interpretation?

If you're right, then why doesn't the price of gas and electricity go up every winter, and down every spring?

Do you really think prices will drop back down to 2019 levels when everyone returns to the office this winter?

I dont care whether people wfh or not.
No skin off my nose either way.

I do think people cannot possibly think that the something like 500% or is it 5 times rise in costs since mid 2020, has everything to do with Russia.
In fact, I am finding it bizarre that some are continuing with that idea.

Even though Russia has strangled supply and thus driven the costs up dramatically? You really can't see the connection?

well obvs not everyone will return. And worldwide in 207 countries or whatever.

Like with households I presume[though you can correct me if I am wrong, or someone else can] that the wholesale buyers around the world, have 3 year energy contracts or for whoever long, like households do?

Even if slightly out, or nuanced as you put it, the rise in worldwidewholesale prices has been rising, and rising, for 2 and a half years now.