New insights on the energy impacts of telework in Canada

Abstract

Quantifying the energy impact of teleworking has been challenging due to the low prevalence of telework. The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated widespread shift to telework provides a new opportunity to study the energy impact of teleworking. Within two months of the lockdowns we surveyed 278 knowledge-based workers in Canada who started primarily working from home to investigate their energy-related behaviours and attitudes. The survey's major themes are energy-saving actions taken in the office, equipment used for telework, impacts on home energy usage, and both awareness of and response to electricity pricing. Given trends towards increased teleworking in the future, these results can inform public policy related to teleworking and energy.