Remote work may be cheaper from an energy standpoint than commuting into the office, but most employees working from home are not actively managing the power consumption of their setups, according to a new survey of 1,005 full-time employees.The study found that 3 in 5 remote and on-site employees believe working in the office is more energy-draining than working from home.
Based on residential electricity rates from the US Energy Information Administration and earlier estimates of office building energy use, that perception appears accurate. Remote work was estimated to cost between $0.38 and $1.22 per day in energy use, compared with roughly $1.77 per day for on-site work. Over a year, that puts remote working energy costs at up to $317, versus about $460 for office-based work.
Still, the survey suggests cost savings are not translating into stronger energy-saving behaviour at home. Just 9% of remote workers said they often think about the energy toll of their work-from-home setup compared with office work, while 26% do so occasionally and 65% rarely or never consider it. Two in three remote workers said they would not give up any of their current devices or other “power consumers” to reduce energy use or cut costs.
Device choices also shape consumption patterns. Among remote workers, 70% use laptops and 28% use desktops. In-office employees, by contrast, are far more desktop-reliant, with 50% using desktops, making them 79% more likely than remote workers to do so. According to EcoFlow, desktops consume five times more energy than laptops, at roughly 2 kWh compared with 0.4 kWh. Remote workers also reported using multiple accessories that add to home electricity use, including second monitors (60%), docking stations (30%) and external speakers (27%).
Home energy habits were mixed. More than half of remote workers (54%) said they turn the thermostat up by at least 2 degrees while working. At the end of the workday, 46% put all devices to sleep, 32% shut them down fully and 12% leave everything on. In terms of energy-saving measures, 48% use automatic sleep settings, 33% use eco or low-power mode, and 28% use smart plugs or power strips. A quarter also use monitor timers.The survey also pointed to video conferencing as a major but often overlooked source of power use. Remote workers spend an average of 2.3 hours a day on video calls, adding up to 598 hours or 75 working days a year. One in 10 spend five or more hours a day in meetings on video platforms. Remote managers average 2.4 hours of video calls daily, which is twice the 1.2 hours reported by on-site managers. Referencing IEA estimates, the report noted that a one-hour video call with the camera on consumes 0.08 kWh. Nearly one-third of remote workers (32%) said they always keep their cameras on during meetings, while 26% leave video conferencing apps open all day, even when they are not in a meeting.
The findings are based on responses from 1,005 full-time employees, 75% of whom said they work remotely, and highlight a growing workplace challenge: while remote work appears more energy-efficient overall, many employees are not yet adopting habits that would help them reduce household power use further.