Working from home is great... but has your heating bill skyrocketed? You're not alone.
In recent years, working from home has become the norm for many of us. No more commuting, just the comfort of home! But this freedom comes with a hidden cost that is often underestimated: skyrocketing heating bills. Whereas homes used to be left ‘on standby’ during office hours, they are now occupied for most of the day, even in the middle of winter.
This raises the question: how can you enjoy a pleasant, warm working environment without spending a fortune on heating empty rooms? It's time to adopt smart strategies to balance productivity, comfort and savings. This article reveals the foolproof method for achieving this.
1.The classic mistake made by remote workers: Heating 100% of the house for 10% occupancy.
The most common (and most costly) mistake is to keep the whole house at a comfortable temperature (often 20-21°C) from 9am to 5pm, when in fact you only really use one room: your office.
The single thermostat, often located on the ground floor, controls all the radiators. As a result, the upstairs bedroom is heated even though it is only used for sleeping, the living room is at the ideal temperature even when you are on a video call, and the dining room is unnecessarily heated. This is a silent but colossal waste of energy and money. Your house becomes like a large cruise ship where all the lights are turned on to read a book in one cabin.
2. The winning strategy: ‘micro-zoning’ for remote workers
The winning strategy: ‘micro-zoning’ for remote workers
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Step 1: Set the ideal temperature for your office (e.g. 20°C) and keep it stable only during your working hours. Your workspace is your priority. Set it up to be comfortable and conducive to concentration. The goal is to reach this temperature a few minutes before starting your day and to maintain it consistently and economically.
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Step 2: Set the rest of the house to ‘Eco’ or ‘Frost protection’ mode during the day. This is the key to saving energy. Why heat the living room, kitchen or empty bedrooms? Set these areas to a maintenance temperature (16-17°C) or even ‘Frost protection’ mode (7-10°C) for unused rooms. The heat will not be lost, it will simply be adjusted to the absence of occupants.
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Step 3: Program the system so that the living room starts heating up 30 minutes before the end of your working day. For a perfect return to ‘domestic comfort’, plan ahead! Your system can preheat the living areas a few minutes before you leave the office. This way, you can move from an optimised workspace to a relaxing space that is already warm, without any manual effort.
3. The calculation that speaks for itself: From theoretical savings to the reality of your bill
Let's take a simple example. Heating a 100m² house to 21°C all day long means consuming energy for the entire surface area. If you spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week in a 12m² office, most of that energy is wasted.
By heating only the 12m² of your office to 20°C and the rest of the house in economy mode (say 17°C) during those 8 hours, the impact on your consumption is drastic. At the end of the day, only the area needed for family activities is brought to a comfortable temperature.
Do the maths: that's square metres that are unnecessarily unheated, hours of boiler savings, and potentially hundreds of pounds less on your annual bill. Working from home can mean savings!
Work in comfort and peace of mind, without wasting energy.
Working from home shouldn't mean high heating bills. By adopting a ‘micro-zoning’ strategy, you can transform your home into a smart space that adapts to your professional and personal needs. You'll enjoy optimal comfort in your office and living areas, while minimising your energy consumption.
But how can you manage this complexity in a simple and automated way? That's where Snugr makes all the difference. Our solution has been designed for new lifestyles. Thanks to our smart thermostatic valves and intuitive app, you can programme and control each room independently from your smartphone.
-> Discover Snugr, the smart solution that puts an end to waste and ensures perfect comfort, whether you're in a virtual meeting or with your family.