When the prices for gas and electricity skyrocket in the coming months, home workers will be able to save a lot of money by seeking out the warmth of the old familiar working environment. According to price comparison site Uswitch, that can quickly save 60 euros per week.
In no European country was working from home more popular during and after the pandemic than in the UK. For many employees it improved the quality of life. They no longer had to sit or stand in crowded rush hour trains. It also saved a lot of costs. Public transport is expensive on the island, especially during rush hour. At the insurance companies in the City of London, according to consultancy firm Advanced Workplace Associates, only 18 percent of employees go to the office full-time.
Last year the government tried unsuccessfully to put an end to this work-from-home culture. Coming increases in gas and electricity prices will make it happen. After all, anyone who works from home all day from January will have to spend 209 euros per week on energy costs. The comparison site assumes that home workers consume 25 percent more electricity and 75 percent more gas per day. There are also other costs, such as your own tea and coffee. And toilet paper.
In the United Kingdom, as in the Netherlands, inflation has risen to above 10 percent on an annual basis. For the British, last month marked the first time since the early 1980s that the currency depreciation exceeded that level. Because this mainly concerns the aftermath of the lockdown measures and financial Covid aid, inflation should fall again soon. On October 1, however, the artificial limitation of energy bills will come to an abrupt end. Then the price ceiling will fall and energy prices can rise by hundreds of pounds.