5 ways to reduce energy consumption when telecommuting

Between the heating, the office lighting, the computer charging and the printer running all day long, the bill can quickly mount up. Fortunately, there are solutions!

Monitor the power consumption of your work tools

Did you know that a desktop computer consumes around 1.6 kWh for 8 hours' use a day? Depending on your energy supplier, that works out at around €1.25 per week. There's nothing alarming about this figure, but you can still make small savings. All it takes is a few simple gestures:

• Laptops and tablets are much more energy-efficient than desktop computers;
• Unplug your notebook as soon as it is fully charged;
• Reduce the brightness of your computer to reduce power consumption and ease the strain on your eyes;
• Switch off your computer when you've finished working and don 't leave it on standby (it continues to consume up to 5 Wh);
• Use the energy-saving mode;
• Disable options you don't need, such as WiFi, Bluetooth or GPS;
• Turn on your printer only when you need it.

Favour natural light

To be productive, it's important to have good lighting. It's more pleasant, and better for morale! To keep artificial lighting to a minimum, it's advisable to install your desk in a well-lit room, and avoid placing it with its back to the light.

If you don't have this option, simply consider using LED bulbs. They consume 5 times less energy than conventional bulbs, and last much longer (around 40,000 hours).

The luckiest of you will also be able to set up in your garden or on your terrace.

Change energy supplier

A change of supplier is often necessary to reduce energy bills. Yes, rates vary from one supplier to another. Whether it's the price per kWh or the subscription fee, the differences are far from negligible. Incumbent suppliers such as EDF and Engie offer regulated tariffs that are constantly rising.

But since the opening up of the energy market to competition, alternative suppliers have been overshadowing them. Their rates are often more attractive: fixed price, indexed rate with discount on the price per kWh, cheaper peak/off-peak subscription...

It's important to compare all these offers to find the one that suits you best. If you're at a loss, the Hello Watt website can help. Energy advisors can also answer all your questions!

Don't overheat your home

In summer, you won't have this problem. But be careful with air conditioning! It also consumes a lot of electricity. In winter, try not to exceed 23°C in your office. This is the ideal temperature when you're sitting still in front of your computer.

In the living rooms, 19°C is more than enough. It's better to put on a thick sweater than to receive a hefty electricity bill! To keep your office warm, remember to :

• Close shutters at night to reduce heat loss;
• Place your desk near a sunny window;
• Turn off radiators when airing the room.

Reduce your digital impact

Teleworking not only increases energy consumption. It also contributes significantly to digital pollution. Internet use tends to minimize environmental impact.

And yet, the carbon emissions associated with data storage are considerable. To reduce them, you can :

• Sort out your mailbox by emptying your recycle garbage can, deleting spam and unsubscribing from newsletters you don't read;
• Use a more ecological search engine such as Ecosia or Lilo ;
• Close the tabs when you have finished your search ;
• Compress e-mail attachments;
• Bookmark frequently visited web pages to avoid having to enter the URL every time;
• Use streaming sensibly;
• Wifi is preferable to the 4G network, which has a much higher energy cost.