People in Flintshire working from home could add an extra £131 a month to energy bills

Working from home could add an extra £131 a month to household energy bills under the new price cap.

Those who spend less than £30 on their weekly commute could save money by going to their workplace, according to new analysis from Uswitch.com, has found.

A typical household will run up a £363 monthly bill for gas and electricity under the new £3,549 price cap for October, but those working from home will use more energy than those who leave the house empty all day.

Full-time workers are estimated to increase their daily gas use by 75% as they put the heating on for an extra ten hours a day during the coldest months, while electricity use is predicted to rise by 25% as they cook meals and prepare cups of tea at home.

Larger households with a higher energy consumption are likely to pay £513 a month, rising to £698 for those who are working from home. Such households will save money if their total weekly commuting costs add up to less than £46.

Occupants of smaller homes like flats are likely to pay £243 on average a month for their energy bill, rising to £330 for those working from home. For people in such households, it is likely to be cheaper to work from home unless their commuting costs are less than £20 a week.

From January, the price cap is predicted to rise to £5,386, meaning that the average household will be paying £580 a month for their energy, compared to £789 for those who are working from home. This extra £209 a month cost makes the weekly commute break-even point £49.

The difference is even greater for larger homes that use more energy, with an average January bill of £861 rising by £310 for home-workers to £1,171 a month.

Table: Extra cost of working from home

Source: Uswitch.com

Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Working from home during the colder months of the year is obviously going to be more expensive as employees are likely to need their heating on during the day.

“Using extra energy when the heating would usually be off will be especially noticeable on bills this year with prices rising by 80%.

“Not only do people working from home use more energy staying warm, they are also cooking lunch and making cups of tea, as well as running computers, TVs and phone chargers.

“The amount of extra energy home workers use will vary, but we estimate that people at home for an extra 50 hours per week could use about 25% more electricity and 75% more gas per day this winter.

“Based on this, for workers who don’t have an expensive commute, working from the office is likely to be more economical this winter.”

• Uswitch.com offers households energy saving tips, including only heating the room you’re working in while working from home.