Working at the office/ away from home to save energy?

[TooHot2022]

I haven't seen much mention of this anywhere. Do you think all the people who were pro WFH after the pandemic will begin to want to go back to the office, or begin to work from cafes/ libraries/ hotel lobbies etc if they can to save on heating costs?
It could actually be the thing that saves city office blocks and their surrounding businesses!

I've mentally been noting local places which are quiet and where I could reasonably spend a few hours on my laptop!

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4622505-are-you-going-back-to-office-rising-energy-prices?reply=119622699

The consensus on this thread was a resounding Nah

It's definitely crossed my mind but my office is 50 miles away so would cost me more in petrol. Don't know how I'm going to heat the home over winter when WFH full time. Bring researching lots of options and currently plan to wear layers!!

Bonus points if you're allowed to charge your phone in the office and can walk or cycle there.

Ah, sorry! Didn't see that thread! 😆

No don't apologise, I wasn't being arsey just thought you might find it interesting as it's asking the same questions

As an employer (and talking to other employers) we are expecting a rise in enthusiasm for coming into the office during the the winter months.

No way. Better to be cold at home than back in the office.

As an employer (and talking to other employers) we are expecting a rise in enthusiasm for coming into the office during the the winter months.

Okay - what about your employees? Have you spoken to them about it? Because everyone I talk to doesn't want to go back in

Unless fuel prices dramatically drop, nope.

No. We didn’t switch on the ch during the day for the last 2 winters of wfh, so why would we this year? The small amount of electricity we do use during our working days is nothing compared to what we used to spend on diesel and /or vehicle wear and tear. And let’s not forget the 2 hour, crappy commute everyday.

For most people it will still be cheaper to stay at home and heat their home than to pay petrol/train costs to commute to work.

It might be that people WFH more if money is tight.

Not a chance.

I'd rather be under blankets and a duvet at home than go into the office.

A lot of workplaces are anticipating closing to save money though. So it might not be the saviour people are hoping for.

No because I have an insulated modern home and can heat my box room/office with a short burst of a fan heater and wear layers if I am cold. The alternative is to burn diesel on my congestion filled commute then freeze or boil in the office where the heating is unregulated.

And that is before I pick up every bug going as everyone comes in when they are ill.

If there's a subsidised canteen they'll probably ly sell loads of hot meals too

If there are showers I guess people could start using those too!

No, once I factor in the commute, paying to park etc wfh still wins out.

I never used CH much last year anyway, electricity usage will be minimal in difference in wfh compared to being in the office. Literally just the cost of charging a laptop and powering a screen.

Good idea and fill up a flask

One thing I have noticed over the last couple of years is that the local community businesses seem to be thriving. There is a lot of ‘use it or lose it’ posts on local Facebook groups, so perhaps wfh people will venture out to the their local cafes and community hubs. That would be great! I still don’t think people will be rushing back to the office. That ship has sailed.

All of our employees have full choice - wfh, work in office or a mixture.

It's entirely up to them.

We survey regularly to try to do our best to support their wellbeing.

Nope my commuting costs are too high and I would imagine they could get even higher next year.

Saw a suggestion online that this would save you (very roughly) about £25 a week (depending on what you were able to do at work, and having the heating on a lot at home). For most people, their commute will cost more than that, so it won't work out as a saving. Plus if you work from home, you can claim about £300 a year back in tax, which might cover you for the 12 coldest weeks of the year.

I'd do your sums on this pretty carefully. I also think people spend more money when they're in the office/commuting on lunches etc.

Isn't it more likely that workplaces will be reduced in size to save on their energy bills, and workers will be encouraged to work at home?

Its a no from me. I didn't use the heating in the day last year so won't this year. It gets a bit chilly by 4pm but my heating is set to come on at 5. I'll look forward to my hour of heating even more this year.

We are expecting more people in to our office over winter.
Have already heard people talking about charging devices in the office too and using the showers. We always have fresh fruit, tea, coffee, drinks, milk, bread, sandwiches for lunch in too so anyone struggling can eat in the office too.
I understand I'm very fortunate to have a decent employer though who offers these things & it might not be worth while others going in to the office compared to working from home.

For us yes as the commute is only a couple of miles and i do notice an increase in elec/ gas when we work from home
Ds1 will be at uni and ds2 at college all day so makes sense that we go in the office as then no electric will be used really in the day and I can just have heating on for an hr or when we get in
We already spend £150 month electric and £45 gas ( summer) so with new increases we need to save where we can as we simply cannot afford it and as on a prepayment we can't build up debt , we will just get cut off