Is Working From Home More Sustainable?

Julie Starr • Nov 12, 2021



The work-from-home revolution has well and truly begun. The people leading the charge for shifting towards a totally work-from-home state will often cite many of its supposed benefits. Amongst the advantages listed, there will always be claims of it being more sustainable and eco-friendly than working in an office. 

What we’re interested in is getting to the truth of the matter. Is this actually an accurate statement? Is it better for the sustainability of your business to have everyone working remotely, rather than all coming to an office? Let’s look at the main arguments and points…

No commute

One of the biggest reasons people say working from home is better for the environment is that it removes the need for commuting . Picture a world in which nobody commuted to the office every day – think about how many carbon emissions would no longer be released into the atmosphere. In all honesty, there are no arguments against this point. Yes, working from home will reduce your carbon footprint by making you drive less. The impact can be considerable if you have employees living over an hour away from the office – that’s over two hours of commuting ripped to shreds each day, equating to ten hours a week or forty hours a month. Think about how many carbon fumes this prevents!

Yes, you can argue that employees traveling to work in electric vehicles or via bikes won’t create carbon emissions anyway. However, it’s pretty hard to guarantee or enforce a rule where people can only commute these ways. 

Lower energy consumption

Another argument is that less energy is consumed when working from home, compared to being in an office. Again, this can be an accurate claim. There have been studies that show that – in the majority of cases – working from home can cut energy use . It’s because you use fewer devices when everyone is working from home, and you can also call upon everyone’s individual energy consumption. For example, you have no need to power a whole room full of computers or servers in an office. Instead, each individual has their own device at home – which might have eco-friendly settings to use up even less energy. 

Not only that, but you have to take things like lighting into account as well. In an office, you’ll probably light the entire space for the entirety of the day. Even with efficient lighting, that equates to a lot of energy being consumed throughout the week. At home, you only need to light the space you’re working in. Thankfully, nobody needs a lot of space at home anyway! Think about it, everything you could possibly need is all on one device. You can access your accounting software, marketing software, employee recognition software , HR software, and so on. All you need is a small space to work at a desk – which can be in your bedroom, kitchen, or home office. This means the rest of your home can remain in darkness during the day, reducing energy consumption. 

What about winter energy consumption?

At this point, everything looks great. Working from home is surely more sustainable as you use less energy and cut down on commutes. However, things get a bit harder in the winter. There has been research that suggests working from home uses more energy in the winter months because of heating demands. Energy consumption referring to your devices and lighting doesn’t change, but you use more energy when heating your home. 

It’s believed that this is down to the heating systems in homes and offices. With an office, you have a more sophisticated system that’s designed to heat your office space as efficiently as possible. You also have the benefit of being part of a larger building, meaning you get more heat from other offices around you. When everyone works from home, you have each individual home using their heating system to stay warm. It can mean that more energy is used throughout winter, making working from home less sustainable than you initially thing. 

Nevertheless, in conclusion, you should view working from home as a better solution for the environment. The only issue is the winter cold snap, but you can find ways around this. For instance, introduce flexible working where people come to the office for a few days per week in the winter. Or, educate your employees on how to cut their energy consumption at home when it gets cold. The bottom line is that, over the course of 12 months, working from home will be more sustainable. It’s just that you should be aware and more conscious of your energy consumption at home when it gets cold.

Simple Steps To Make Your Office Space More Eco-Friendly

By Julie Starr • 07 Oct, 2024
Becoming more eco-friendly and running a greener business is a responsibility that business owners really need to think more about. The good news is that if you spend a lot of time in your office, there are plenty of ways to make it more eco-friendly without having to overhaul everything and start again (which isn’t just disruptive, but expensive too). So, if you’re ready to get started, here are some simple steps to make your office space more eco-friendly; read on to find out more. Use Energy-Efficient Lighting This idea is a simple one that you can do no matter what else might be on your list of tasks - it’s quick, easy, and really makes a difference; change your light bulbs to something more energy efficient. If you’re still using traditional fluorescent bulbs, it’s time to upgrade to LED which doesn’t just last longer, but also uses a lot less energy. They’re easy to install and they’ll help you cut down on your office’s energy usage almost instantly. If possible, you should make the most of natural light too, so think about rearranging your workspace to let in more sunlight, which saves energy and can boost your mood - it’s a win-win that you can do right away. Prioritize Air Quality The air you breathe matters, and keeping it clean can do wonders for your health and the planet. One way to improve air quality is by adding plants to your workspace because plants are natural air purifiers, and as a bonus, they’ll make your office feel more inviting. Another great idea is to make sure your office’s HVAC system is working efficiently, and having air duct cleaning done by professionals is an easy step you can take to improve air quality and ensure your heating and cooling systems aren’t wasting energy. Clean air ducts mean cleaner air, less strain on your system, and even lower energy bills, so it’s a simple but really effective thing to do. Switch To Reusable Products If your office is still stocking up on single-use plastic items, it’s time for a change - swap your disposable cups, utensils, and plates for reusable ones and you’ll be surprised at how much waste to eliminate. And what about encouraging people to bring their own mugs and water bottles to work? Give them tea, coffee, and water to refill everything with, and you’ll be doing your bit to help the planet and have less waste to deal with as well. And don’t stop with these things either - there are loads of reusable products that could be useful in your office. You could have refillable pens and ink cartridges for your printer, for example. Go Paperless Speaking of your printer, is that an office machine you actually need? If you were to go digital and aim for a paperless office , you might be able to do away with the printer, which means less money spent on ink and paper, and less energy used altogether. You should be able to set up a system where documents can be shared online and stored electronically, and there are plenty of tools around to help you do exactly that (and much more). If you don’t need to print something and you don’t need a physical copy of a document, don’t make one - just use the digital version instead and you’ll be a lot more eco-friendly.

3 Most Unsustainable Industries & What They're Doing To Be More Eco-Conscious

By Julie Starr • 04 Oct, 2024
Sustainability often gets pushed on the common person. Joe Public is told to be more sustainable with their daily habits as the government pushes for more eco-friendly measures. This is all well and good - but does it really matter when 71% of greenhouse gas emissions come from just 100 companies around the world? Small business owners are desperate to prove their sustainability, but what are bigger companies in some of the most polluting industries doing to help? We’ve taken three of the least sustainable sectors on the planet and explored the unique ways they’re trying to cut down on emissions and be more eco-friendly. Mining Any industry revolving around drilling underground will not be very environmentally friendly! Mining causes a lot of pollution, but its unsustainability often comes from the way it damages local environments and ecosystems. So, what is this industry doing to change things? It’s largely focusing on more responsible mining practices to reduce waste and mitigate the impact on local environments. This is done through mining dust suppression systems to prevent airborne pollution, reforesting mining sites when they’re no longer in use, and recycling as many materials as possible. Is it perfect? No, but it’s a step in the right direction. Fossil Fuels Shock horror; the fossil fuels industry is the most damaging to our environment. Finding ways to change the scope of this sector is the key to ensuring a better future for all. Some companies in this industry are trying to do this through carbon capture and storage. This is a technique where CO2 emissions are captured before they’re released into the atmosphere and stored underground. Realistically, the main thing fossil fuel companies should be doing is pushing for more renewable energy sources. Many are doing this - though reports suggest they’re not investing as much as they should. If fossil fuel companies dumped more money into developing biofuels and other renewable sources, pollution from this industry would drop dramatically. Fashion The most unbelievable stat to take from this post is that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of our global carbon footprint . That’s remarkable (and worrying), considering how most of us don’t view it as a “dangerous” industry. Fast fashion is the main problem; poorly-made goods are pumped out at a rapid rate, and consumers constantly buy new things. Fashion companies are trying their best to resolve this. Most big brands will now have sustainable lines using recyclable materials. Consumers also hold the key to solving this problem: stop buying new clothes all the time and wear yours for longer. Or buy pre-owned clothes to slow down the fashion production line. Companies can still do more as well: they are trying to adopt more eco-friendly production processes that use less water and energy. The moral of this post is that everyone can do their bit to fight for a more sustainable future. Keep this in mind for your small business . It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; there will always be ways to promote eco-friendly practices.
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