Monenergie.beTelecommuting is very popular. However, those who work from home several times a week will see their energy bill increase considerably. Monenergie.be checked how you can reduce your consumption costs during your telework days.
When it comes to teleworking, heating costs represent the largest part of the energy bill. In this context, it is a question of making maximum use of the heat of the sun and optimally insulating your office.
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Your PC/laptop
The PC/laptop is a crucial work tool for almost all teleworkers. A desktop consumes an average of 200 watts/hour. If you use your computer for 8 hours straight, your annual consumption will be 600 kWh.
According to the median price of electricity calculated via Monenergie.be, you will have to pay 35.48 euro cents per kWh or 213 euros on an annual basis. A laptop consumes much less: from 50 to 100 watts/hour. If you use it 8 hours a day, your annual consumption will be between 150 and 300 kWh, more than 50% less.
You may not be working all day at your desk, but you are visiting a client or have to attend a physical meeting in the meantime. In standby mode, your consumption will be reduced to regarding 1/3. In the evening, it is therefore in your interest to completely turn off your desktop or laptop. Indeed, if you also leave your PC on during the night on weekdays, you will have to pay 639 euros more on an annual basis. In standby mode, it will only be 213 euros.
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Your smartphone
The smartphone is also essential on the desk of teleworkers. Often, employees leave their device plugged into the charger from morning until night. When a device is fully charged, but the plug remains in the outlet, the charger will still consume power. You can see this, among other things, by the heat that the charger continues to give off.
According to calculations by the Dutch energy supplier Vattenfall, an adapter plugged into the socket unnecessarily consumes around 2 watts/hour. On an annual basis, consumption amounts to 17.52 kWh. At current energy prices, the annual bill will amount to 6.13 euros. At first glance, this amount does not seem too high, but if your partner who also works from home and the other members of your household also leave their chargers plugged into the socket, your bill will quickly rise to a few tens of euros.
Your printer
In many home offices, the small printer light stays on all the time. Current models consume 14 watts or 122.64 kWh/year. It will cost you 43.51 euros. If you put your printer in sleep mode, your energy bill will be reduced to 11.19 euros. You will therefore save 32.32 euros.
Your energy contract
The price difference between the least advantageous supplier and the most advantageous supplier on the market amounts to a few hundred euros. Thus, you can save considerably on your energy bill by changing energy supplier. Check here how much you might save on your energy bill by switching energy supplier.
Telecommuting allowance
Employers can grant telecommuting allowance to their employees. This monthly allowance, which can amount to up to 148.73 euros, is exempt from taxes and social security contributions. In addition, your employer can grant you up to €40 per month to compensate for your costs related to the use of your private Internet connection, your Internet subscription and your private computer.
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This article is brought to you by our partner Monenergie. Monenergie.be is an independent comparator of electricity and gas prices.
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