Energy Tips
How to Keep Winter Bills Down When You Work from Home
Keep your home energy efficient with these easy-to-implement tips
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Important Points
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Working from home changes your energy habits, especially in winter. Heaters, lights, and devices run longer, so being aware of your daily usage is crucial.
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Small adjustments, like running your dishwasher or dryer overnight or pre-heating a room during off-peak times, can help cut costs for households on a time-of-use plan.
For many Australians, working from home has become the new normal. Whether it’s a full-time remote job or a hybrid setup, spending more time at home can bring more comfort, flexibility, and, unfortunately, higher energy bills.
As the temperature drops, most of us crank up the heater, boil the kettle more often, and use lights, laptops, and appliances throughout the day. What used to be an empty house between 9 and 5 is now a fully functioning home office. Read on to see what’s contributing to your high energy bill and what you can do to lower it.
The Hidden Cost of Comfort
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Around 40% of home energy use goes toward heating and/or cooling¹. If you’re heating your home office or even the whole house, your system will cycle on and off repeatedly. A split-system or portable electric heater left on all day can add hundreds of dollars over the winter months.
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Lighting accounts for 10% of the average household electricity budget¹. It gets darker earlier in winter, and if you’re using multiple rooms or working in a space with poor natural light, the lights tend to stay on longer. Consider switching to energy-efficient LED bulbs and make the most of natural light during the day.
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Insulation plays a critical role. According to the Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. “Ceiling insulation can reduce your home’s winter heat loss by 25% to 35%.” Proper insulation can reduce the need for constant heating.
“The Home Is Now the Office” Problem
Your home wasn’t designed to function as a full-time workspace, especially not energy-wise. A lot of Aussie homes, particularly older ones, aren’t well insulated, meaning they lose heat fast. So even if you run your heater for hours, a lot of that warmth escapes through gaps under doors, single-glazed windows, or uninsulated walls and ceilings.
Even worse? You could end up heating spaces you’re not using, like the living room, kitchen, or bedrooms. And open-plan layouts? Great for aesthetics, not so great for heating efficiently.
Think it’s just your heater doing the damage? Think again. Remote work often requires a comprehensive tech setup, including a laptop, monitor, modem/router, printer, and possibly a ring light or second screen for content creators. While each device alone doesn’t draw heaps of power, collectively and over time, they contribute to higher energy usage as a whole.
2Add in the Human Factor
When you’re at home all day, it’s hard not to indulge in small comforts, like an extra hot coffee, a warm lunch, or having the television on in the background while you work. You wouldn’t necessarily do these things if you were in an office (especially one where heating a meal in the break room microwave already feels like a minor battle).
And if you’ve got others working from home too, a partner, roommate, or kids doing homework or remote learning, your home becomes a multi-user, multi-purpose energy hub.
You don’t have to choose between freezing and forking out hundreds of dollars. Capitalise on your work-from-home situation by doing the following:
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Stick to one warm zone. Instead of heating the whole house, just warm up the room you’re actually using. Close the doors to keep the heat in, and add a door snake (or even a rolled-up towel) at the bottom to stop cold draughts sneaking in.
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Dress the part. A cozy jumper, thick socks, and a few layers can make all the difference. If you’re bundled up, you might not need the heater running all day, just the occasional blast to take the edge off.
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Get cosy with a big blanket. It might sound obvious, but snuggling up with a thick throw can keep you warm enough to resist touching the thermostat. Bonus points if it’s one of those fleece-lined ones.
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Make the most of the sunshine. Open the curtains during the day and let the sun do a bit of the heavy lifting; free warmth that doesn’t add a cent to your energy bill.
Other Winter Blogs You Might Like
And finally, review your energy plan. Arguably, it’s one of the easier tasks when compared to the ones we’ve listed above. Most importantly, it could save you a good amount of money, especially if you’ve been on the same plan for a while. According to the Australian regulator ACCC, over 80% of households connected to the National Electricity Market (NEM) could be overpaying for their energy². That means if you haven’t checked your energy plan in a while, there’s a good chance you’re paying more than you need to, possibly hundreds of dollars a year, just for sticking with the same provider.
A quick plan check now could mean a lower bill later. It only takes about 15 minutes to compare and switch, and it’s one of the easiest ways to make your winter energy costs more manageable. Enter your postcode below to compare providers in your area.
3On a Time-Of-Use Tariff? Know When To Use Your Electricity
With a time-of-use (TOU) tariff, the cost of electricity isn’t just based on how much you use, it also depends on when you use it.
The day is divided into different pricing periods based on demand, which means shifting your energy usage to the respective times could help you save.
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Peak: the most expensive time to use power, usually in the late afternoon and evening when demand is highest.
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Shoulder: a mid-range rate that typically applies before and after peak hours.
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Off-peak: the cheapest period, often overnight or in the early morning when demand is low.
TOU rates can vary between weekdays and weekends, and some energy retailers offer seasonal TOU tariffs, where the timing and pricing of peak, shoulder, and off-peak periods change throughout the year. These seasonal changes reflect demand during extreme weather, like cold winter evenings or hot summer afternoons, to better manage energy usage across the network.
If you’re on a TOU tariff, check out these tips below to maximise your savings.
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Run appliances off‑peak. Use delay timers on your dishwasher, washing machine or dryer so they run during hours when the prices are the lowest.
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Charge after dark. Whether it’s your laptop, phone or EV, plug in overnight during off-peak hours.
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Pre‑heat or cool smartly. If you know it’s going to be cold later, turn the temperature up during off‑peak hours, then maintain it as needed.
Author
Benjamin TomBenjamin is a utility specialist passionate about creating informative content about the energy, internet, and solar markets. With extensive experience in the telecommunications industry, Benjamin drives our unique blog posts, articles, and reviews. He is focused on breaking down the technical jargon so our readers can better understand the telco market and industry. Whether he is comparing the latest internet deals or creating unique guides, Benjamin takes great pride in creating helpful, easy-to-read content.
Sources:
¹Australian Government, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Seasonal Winter Energy Advice. https://www.energy.gov.au/households/household-guides/seasonal-advice/winter
²Australian Energy Regulator (AER), Annual Retail Market Report 2023–24 – Charts and Data. https://www.aer.gov.au/documents/annual-retail-market-report-2023-24-charts-and-data
³Australian Government, Electricity Pricing And Tariffs, https://www.energy.gov.au/solar/financial-benefits-solar/electricity-pricing-plans-and-tariffs
