Research in the United States has revealed that teleworking, or remote working as it is also known, saves America between nine to fourteen billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.
The saving in electricity is equivalent to that used by around one million US households, according to a study by the US Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). And not going into the office to work also saved an estimated 840 million gallons of petrol, reducing greenhouse gas emission by almost 14 million tons, the equivalent of taking two million vehicles off the road for a year.
The study, admittedly by an organisation whose members stand to gain from increased levels of remote working, sought to determine the net level of energy savings and CO2 reductions through higher levels of small office home office hardware such as computers and wireless networks.
Commenting on the findings of “The Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Impact of Telecommuting and e-Commerce” study, Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA said: “This report demonstrates that consumer electronics are part of a climate change solution, as the use of electronics is preventing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing fossil fuel consumption. Statistics have been available to detail how much energy electronics use, but less was known about the environmental benefits of consumer products developed by our industry when used to communicate and conduct business.”
The study found that people spending a single day working at home saved the equivalent of up to 12 hours of an average household’s electricity use, an average of 1.4 gallons of vehicle fuel and reduced CO2 emissions by 17 to 23 kilograms.
Home or remote workers, even those operating small to micro-sized businesses, can therefore make a significant difference to the environment simply by commuting in their slippers along the hall to their spare room.
