Powering the home office

The additional electricity costs incurred when working from home have been outlined in a new fact sheet from Energy Networks Australia.

The fact sheet highlights that home office equipment, such as laptops and monitors, is only a small component of electricity costs.

These extra costs are estimated based on the likely additional energy consumption of an adult working from home, on top of normal daily consumption.

Energy Networks Australia CEO Andrew Dillon said customers are likely to notice more significant increases from using heating and cooling systems.

“The costs of running laptops and other equipment are about 18c a day, while heating and cooling systems are around $2,” Dillon said.

“Heating and cooling systems will be well over half your daily energy use — but there are some things people can do to help keep costs down.

“Lowering the temperature on your heater by one degree can save up to 10% on your power bill.

“Setting your air conditioner to 24 degrees for cooling and your heater to 18 or 19 degrees can significantly lower your electricity use.”

The fact sheet also has information for Netflix lovers, with the costs of running TV and gaming systems at about 60c a day.

“If the kids are watching TV or using gaming consoles, this by itself is unlikely to lead to a major increase in your power bill, but customers should ensure the devices are turned off when not in use,” Dillon said.

Energy networks recently announced a relief package for customers experiencing hardship as a result of COVID-19. Customers in hardship should contact their energy retailers.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/chones