4 Easy Tips to Save Power While Working from Home

Thankyou Payroll’s Sustainability Whiz, Caro, shares her top tips for conserving energy while working from home.

A woman working from home on her couch

Photo by Ave Calvar on Unsplash

Since the pandemic, working from home has become a new normal for many businesses – including Thankyou Payroll. Many of our team choose to strike a balance between working from home and working in the office, which has not only seen an improvement in our work-life balance, but in reducing our commuting emissions too.

However, with winter rearing its head again, it’s no lie that it’s getting a lot colder and darker, meaning we’re using more energy to bring heat and light to our homes. This isn’t easy on anyone’s power bill – especially for those of us who stay at home during the day. In fact, residential power usage in Aotearoa New Zealand has increased dramatically since the ‘working from home trend’ began.

And it’s not only our bank accounts suffering from the repercussions of an increase in power usage – it’s our planet too. The severity of climate change is accelerating by the day, with a staggering 40% of our country’s carbon emissions coming from energy usage alone.

As someone who loves working from home and taking care of our environment, I’ve made it my mission to live a lifestyle where the two can co-exist comfortably together. Want to make it your mission too? Here are my top 4 tips to save money and the planet while working from home…

1. Change your laptop settings

It’s amazing how much longer your laptop battery can last with just a couple of tweaks to your settings. Here’s a few I have tried:

 

  • Turn off your screensaver settings – ironically, screensavers don’t actually save energy.
  • Shut down your laptop when you’re not using it. Just make sure you save all of your work first!
  • Dim the brightness of your screen.
  • Set your sleep settings to come on after 10 minutes (or less) of inactivity.
  • Switch off Wifi and Bluetooth when you’re not using them.

2. Turn off what you’re not using

Many kiwis may be unaware of the fact that standby power can account for up to 10% of your power bill. That’s a lot of wasted energy and money for something that’s an easy fix. All you need to do is turn off all of your power points when they’re not in use – during the day and overnight.

3. Make the switch to LED light bulbs

Did you know that LED light bulbs can use up to 85% less electricity than traditional light bulbs?

While they cost slightly more upfront, they can also last up to 15 times longer – meaning you will save more money in the long run. An idea could be to gradually start switching your bulbs over at a pace that’s manageable for you.

4. Heat your home office, not your home

There’s no doubt that these winter months are getting pretty chilly – and I’m not saying you need to sacrifice your warmth for the planet. However, when you’re working from home, you’re unlikely to be using every room in your house. Imagine how much energy you could save if you just heat the room you are working in.

For maximum savings and maximum warmth, I would recommend choosing a small working space with natural lighting (if you can), and closing the doors so that you can keep all the heat in.

The power is in your hands

So there you have it. My top 4 tips for saving power while you work from home.

Why not try a few of these next time you’re in the home office? Your power bill might just thank you – we know the planet certainly will.

Caro Timms, Process Lead at Thankyou Payroll

Caro Timms, Process Lead at Thankyou Payroll