Be it a necessity, convenience or simple economics, work from home is now being adopted by many employers across the world.
The corporate world is realizing that allowing their employees to work from home makes them more productive and also helps the environment.
With so many benefits, it is only natural that more and more companies are ready to offer their employees the flexibility to work from remote locations as long as they are able to perform.
However, working from home often means higher electricity bill as your air conditioner is switched on throughout the day. There is also more power consumption by your laptops, printers, fans and lights.
Hence, it is imperative for us to think of smart ways to save energy while working from home
1. Use sunlight: There is no need to switch on the light or lamps during the day time. All you need to do is choose the brightest room in your home and keep the curtains open and let the sunlight come in. You will get the necessary Vitamin D and the sunshine will enhance both your productivity as well as your mood.
2. Choice of machine: It is better to use laptops than compared to desktops as laptops are more energy efficient.
3. Plug into smart devices: As we are working for eight to ten hours daily, we should use a device that manages the flow of power to electronics, and cut the electricity supply when not needed. There are several gadgets that regulate power going to devices that will enable you to use your computer but cut standby power going to an attached printer.
4. Work from coffee shops or internet café: You can take a break from your home and spend two to three hours working either from a coffee shop or an internet café. This will bring about a change in scene and help you to save power. And of course, you can enjoy a steaming cup of cappuccino along with your favourite pastry.
5. Be mindful: It is important to switch off the light, computer, air conditioner and other gadgets when you are not using them. It might sound obvious, but we tend to forget switching it off at times and that can lead to wastage of power.
6. Regularly service your appliances: We should get regular servicing of our appliances like ACs, laptops, refrigerators and washing machines to ensure they are running smoothly, efficiently and not using a lot of power.
7. Set up energy saving mode: A computer or a laptop is a smart machine and has several built-in settings for saving energy. All you need is to check out your Settings and figure out how to make a few energy saving tweaks that will give you productivity on less power.
8. Upgrade: If you have older lightbulbs, switch to LEDs as they use less energy.
9. Avoid overuse: Minimize the number of electrical gadgets you use at the same time. Ensure that the laptop, washing machine, AC and the television are not on at the same time.
10. Go solar: It is time to be smart and sign up for using renewable sources of energy like sun and wind. Companies like Freyr Energy can help you reduce your electricity bill by 90% and help you in saving the environment.