ecoact homeworking emissions white paper

Homeworking emissions whitepaper.

First ever open-source carbon calculation methodology for homeworking. download your copy today..

The impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) have resulted in significant changes to our daily lives; affecting family life, leisure time, the way we travel and the way we do business.

An estimated 47% of UK employees – 14 million people – were reported to be working from home in April 2020 and many have stayed remote or hybrid since. It is vital that corporates account for the shifting boundaries of their operational emissions.

This paper, written in partnership with Lloyds Banking Group and NatWest Group and with special contribution from Bulb, defines a simple and easy to use process for calculating emissions of a workforce increasingly based at their own homes. The version features minor amendments to calculations as the methodology progresses. 

It provides a working methodology to complement the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol for the following three areas:

• Emissions from office equipment
• Emissions from heating
• Emissions from cooling (where geographically relevant)

Download your copy now today to get one step closer to a better understanding of the full emissions impact of today’s business operations.

“As our ways of working continue to change through this pandemic and beyond, it is essential that companies understand the full impact such changes are having on their carbon emissions.

“This year we announced ambitious targets to reduce our climate impact, which include making our operations net zero by the end of 2020. Homeworking emissions are currently excluded from our footprint calculations due to the historic lack of a clear methodology and the associated data collection challenges. Given the significant shift in working patterns seen in 2020, we feel it is important to be able to assess the materiality of the displaced emissions, enabling us to make better decisions about how we tackle them in the future.”

Natwest Group

"Lloyds Banking Group has committed to support the UK tackle climate change by helping to finance the transition to a sustainable, low carbon economy. Reducing the environmental impact of our own operations is an important part of our approach and since 2009 we have reduced our operational carbon emissions by 63%. Even before the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have supported an agile approach for our colleagues, enabling them to work from home and look at different working patterns.

While the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a further reduction in our carbon emissions, most notably through less travel, we recognise the need to balance this against the additional emissions caused by colleagues working from home. This report is a valuable step in navigating the challenge of measuring carbon emissions associated with home working and supports organisations in taking action to tackle the threat of climate change."

Fiona Cannon, Group Sustainable Business Director, Lloyds Banking Group

Copyright © 2024 EcoAct. All Rights Reserved.

Homeworking emissions – Ecoact whitepaper

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Carbon Footprint , Knowledge Article , Sustainability

The carbon emissions of homeworking and office working.

As the world has moved towards hybrid and remote working, Circular Ecology asks the question, what are the carbon emissions of homeworking and office working?

Of course, there are many variables to consider in the answer to that question, and so we will attempt to discuss them in this article. Considerations such as the size of your work or home office, how far you commute, and the transport method you use all influence the emissions of home and office working. Please note that UK specific data has been used within this assessment.

Travelling to Work

The distance travelled to and from the workplace will have an impact on the carbon results of office working. If you are commuting by car, for example, carbon emissions will increase the further you have to commute. In the 2021 Census for England and Wales , data was collected on the distances people travel to work (Office for National Statistics, 2022). The results show that most people who travelled to work, travelled less than 10km. This accounts for a one-way journey, and so this distance should be doubled to account for the travel both to and from the workplace.

Figure 1 – GHG Emissions of Varying Commutes using Transport Methods Weighted Average

Figure 1 shows the increase in emissions as the overall commute distances get longer. This is calculated using the weighted average emissions factor (shown in blue in Figure 2) derived from the census transport to work results and the DEFRA 2023 conversion factors . The 20km total commuting distance (both to and from work) has been used within this assessment and is highlighted in blue.

It is also necessary to assess how people travel to work. Again, we can look to the data from the ONS to find out how people commute. The most selected mode of transport when travelling to work was “driving a car or van” at 45.1% (Office for National Statistics, 2022). The next highest responses were “on foot” and “by bus, minibus or coach”.

The choice in mode of transport will create differences in the carbon results. For example, walking to work would not generate carbon emissions whereas driving by car would. The fuel type of the car or van can also make a difference in the quantity of emissions. For this article, we will use a weighted average from all the transport methods included in the Census results across all the main fuel types where emissions factors are available from DEFRA. The result of this weighted average is shown in Figure 2 in the blue column, for a 20km total commute.

Figure 2 – GHG Emissions of 20km Commute by Transport Method

Of course, when it comes to homeworking, there is no commute and so no associated carbon value needs to be attributed to this.

Energy Usage

For both home and office working scenarios the energy usage within the workspace will result in carbon emissions. The general setup is similar for both environments, with the need for office equipment and temperature controlling equipment such as central heating. In this respect, the main difference between home and office working is the size and layout of the space occupied.

Office-based working commonly takes place in large open-plan office spaces, for which we will need to attribute a part share of total energy use for this assessment. It is important when calculating an emissions factor for this impact that a view of the full calendar year is considered for an average value. For example, gas usage is likely to be higher in the winter due to increased heating of the workspaces, and electricity may be higher due to the need for more lighting during the working day.

Figure 3 shows the emissions factors for office and homeworking in kgCO2e per hour.

Figure 3 – GHG Emissions of Office and Homeworking per Hour

Homeworking

To establish an emissions factor for homeworking, we can refer to the DEFRA 2023 conversion factors. Defra break this factor down into office equipment and heating. To account for varying heating usage over a calendar year, DEFRA provide an annual average for heating which is estimated using data from “Typical Domestic Consumption Values 2020” (Ofgem 2020).

For the office equipment aspects of the homeworking factor, DEFRA state the following:

“Office equipment is an estimation of energy used by a homeworking employee. GHG conversion factors for electricity consumption come from the UK GHG Conversion factors model outputs for UK Electricity. There are 3 assumptions:

• assumed that a homeworking employee only uses energy for a laptop or PC, monitor, phone, printer, and lighting.
• assumed that the energy used by a homeworking employee is 140W, same as the energy used by a workstation (a laptop or PC, monitor, phone, and printer). Electricity use data for a workstation came from CIBSE Guide F (CIBSE, 2012).
• assumed that the energy used for lighting is 10W per homeworking employee (an assumption by EcoAct).” – (DEFRA 2022)

DEFRA’s combined homeworking emissions factor is provided as 0.33378 kgCO2e per hour per person .

There are several real-world variables that could affect this number such as, the size of the room utilised as a home office, the number of people working from home, and the control of heating in the home. For example, for energy saving purposes some people may switch off certain radiators in their home. Homes can also be differently insulated, and boiler efficiency may also affect the amount of energy used when working from home.

Office working

For the office working emissions factor, a study from the University of Exeter has been used. This study uses benchmark data for “general office” buildings taken from CIBSE TM46 to estimate the energy usage of an office. The study also notes that no adjustments were made to account for building efficiency, which is a significant variable in the energy usage, and that the gas heating efficiency rate was assumed to be 80%.

The office occupancy density was also required to calculate this emissions factor. The study used an occupancy report from JLL Estate Agents as well as data from CIBSE TM46. The data was used to calculate square meterage per person for i) very high, ii) high, iii) average and iv) low density offices. A midpoint of these values was then used for the emissions factor calculation to arrive at a baseline scenario factor.

The baseline scenario calculated the office working emissions to be 3.5 kgCO2e per day per person. A working day was said to be 8 hours and therefore the factor can be stated as 0.4375 kgCO2e per hour per person .

The Carbon Footprint of a Working Week

We must now consider different scenarios for a working week, to calculate and compare carbon results based on a person’s potential working patterns.

Scenario One – Office Working Only

This scenario assumes the following

• 5 days a week commuting to an office and 0 days a week working from home
• A working day is 8 hours in length (a total of 40 hours per week)
• The same commute distance to and from work is travelled everyday

When calculating this scenario, the emissions of travelling to and from the place of work and the energy use at the office are accounted for. The results breakdown as shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1 – Scenario One: Office Working Results

Figure 4 – Scenario One Carbon Footprint Breakdown

Figure 4 shows the carbon emissions for this scenario’s working week are quite evenly distributed between travel and office energy emissions, at 48% and 52% respectively. The office energy contributes just 4% more to the overall carbon footprint of 33.43 kgCO2e/week.

Scenario Two – Homeworking Only (Fully remote working)

• 0 days a week commuting to an office and 5 days a week working from home
• There is no attributed commute to the place of work

When calculating this scenario, only the emissions of energy use from the home office are accounted for, as no travel is required to a place of work. The results breakdown as shown in Table 2 below.

Table 2 – Scenario Two: Homeworking Results

Figure 5 – Scenario Two Carbon Footprint Breakdown

Figure 5 shows that as expected, the carbon emissions come solely from the homeworking energy use. The overall carbon footprint is 13.63 kgCO2e/week . This is a difference of 19.8 kgCO2e/week compared to a full working week commuting to and working in an office.

Scenario Three – Hybrid Working

• 2 days a week commuting to an office and 3 days a week working from home
• The same commute distance to and from work is travelled on office working days
• There is no attributed commute to the place of work for homeworking days

A 2022 survey found that the typical UK worker is going into the office “less than 1.5 days per week” (Advanced Workplace Associates 2022). For scenario 3, using these survey results and taking a conservative approach, it has been assumed a hybrid working week would consist of 2 days of office working and 3 days of homeworking . The results breakdown as shown in Table 3 below.

Table 3 – Scenario Three: Hybrid Working Results

Figure 6 – Scenario Three Carbon Footprint Breakdown

gure 6 shows that homeworking energy usage contributes the most to the carbon footprint of the hybrid working scenario. This is to be expected as most days of the week are spent working from home in scenario 3. If the travel and office energy use are added together to represent the office working days, this makes up 62% of the hybrid working footprint despite only being utilised 2 days per week.

Figure 7 – All Scenarios Carbon Footprint Comparison

Figure 7 shows how each of the scenarios presented might compare across a full working week. However, the reality of every individual’s working situation should be assessed against the assumptions made above before determining the option with the lowest impact.

Minimising the Carbon Footprint of Your Workplace

As our working patterns evolve, there may not be a single perfect option for minimising our workspace carbon impacts, and there are many external factors which may affect choices such as insufficient space, access to services and equipment, or personal preference. But if you are looking to reduce the carbon footprint of your workspace, or of your workforce, there are a few things you can consider for both home and office workspaces.

• Consider a green energy tariff for your home or office building
• Consider commuting via public transport, car share, or even biking or walking to work where feasible
• Be careful not to over-utilise heating or air-conditioning. Consider setting or amending individual controls on heating and radiators so they can be switched off in unused rooms
• Turn off office equipment when not in use overnight, or over the weekend
• Use energy efficient lighting such as LED
• Improve the heating efficiency of your workspace

If you would like to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of your organisation, take a look at our Organisational Carbon Footprint page.

Featured image provided royalty free from Unsplash

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EcoAct launches first ever open-source carbon calculation to overcome remote working emissions gap

By Susan Brownlow   |   7th October, 2020

LONDON, 7th October 2020 – International climate change consultancy EcoAct alongside major corporates today published an open source methodology for companies that need to calculate the impacts of an increasing number of employees working from home on corporate carbon emissions. The paper, written in collaboration with EcoAct clients NatWest Group and Lloyds Banking Group and following a roundtable consultation with six major corporates, aims to define a simple and easy to use process for calculating emissions of a workforce increasingly based at their own homes as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. An estimated 47% of UK employees – 14 million people – were reported to be working from home in April this year, and as we head towards the winter months and inevitable increases in energy consumption for heating and lighting, it is vital that corporates are accounting for the shifting boundaries of their operational emissions and have a way to reliably assess them for 2020 and beyond. Research carried out in July 2020 by UK energy supplier Bulb in partnership with EcoAct, estimated that UK firms could face a 'black hole’ of 470,000 tonnes of carbon this year due to unaccounted energy use incurred by employees at home, potentially undermining the UK's long-term net zero emissions ambition. To put this into perspective, this is equivalent to flying around the world over 84,700 times in economy class. This new paper sets out a base case for three areas of emissions generated from homeworking (emissions from office equipment, heating energy and cooling energy) and provides the calculations companies need to robustly assess these emissions in their 2020 reporting. Fiona Cannon, Group Sustainable Business Director, Lloyds Banking Group said: “Even before the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have supported an agile approach for our colleagues, enabling them to work from home and look at different working patterns. While the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a further reduction in our carbon emissions, most notably through less travel, we recognise the need to balance this against the additional emissions caused by colleagues working from home. This report is a valuable step in navigating the challenge of measuring carbon emissions associated with home working and supports organisations in taking action to tackle the threat of climate change.” NatWest Group agrees that “as our ways of working continue to change through this pandemic and beyond, it is essential that companies understand the full impact such changes are having on their carbon emissions. “This year we announced ambitious targets to reduce our climate impact, which include making our operations net zero by the end of 2020. Homeworking emissions are currently excluded from our footprint calculations due to the historic lack of a clear methodology and the associated data collection challenges. Given the significant shift in working patterns seen in 2020, we feel it is important to be able to assess the materiality of the displaced emissions, enabling us to make better decisions about how we tackle them in the future.” Most large companies choose to disclose emissions in line with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) protocol standards. Under the GHG protocol, homeworking is currently an optional disclosure covered in the Employee Commuting (Category 7) section. EcoAct’s methodology seeks to supplement and support the GHG protocol by providing a standardised format which businesses can cite in their disclosures. The full report is accessible here: https://info.eco-act.com/en/homeworking-emissions-whitepaper-2020 About EcoAct EcoAct, an Atos company, is a international sustainability consultancy and project developer, headquartered in Paris, with 160 employees in offices across France, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States and Kenya. The company has unmatched depth and breadth in delivering holistic solutions to enable businesses to reduce their carbon emissions while driving commercial performance. EcoAct has undertaken carbon reduction and sustainability projects for some of the world’s leading brands while also developing and partnering with carbon offset, biodiversity and economic development programmes across Africa, Asia, China and South America. EcoAct is a CDP gold partner, a founding member of ICROA, a strategic partner in the implementation of the Gold Standard for the Global Goals and reports to the UN Global Compact. For more information, visit www.eco-act.com Media contacts For a copy of the report, more information, images or interview requests please contact: Susan Brownlow PR Consultant EcoAct [email protected] Tel: 07739 456292

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Ecologi Zero home working emissions methodology

Explaining how ecologi zero allows businesses to account for their home working emissions.

Summary - Ecologi Zero combines average UK household energy data with how many days your employees work from home, to calculate the increased energy demand and associated emissions from home office equipment and heating.

Greenhouse gas emissions from remote working have become a growing concern due to the increased number of employees working from home or other remote locations since the COVID-19 pandemic. Ecologi Zero only calculates greenhouse gas emissions from remote working for UK-based employees. It uses the methodology outlined in the EcoAct White Paper, the most widely adopted methodology for calculating home working emissions. Included within this are the following emissions sources: 

• Electricity consumption: This includes the use of lighting, computers, monitors, and other electronic devices used for remote work.
• Heating: This includes the energy used to heat the employee's homes (for the period employees work remotely from home during the winter months).

Collecting primary energy usage data (meter readings) from individual employees can be complex and present a barrier to including home working as an emissions source. As such, the total number of days worked remotely by employees for a given period is used to estimate the additional energy consumption of home working. A number of assumptions are made as to employee behaviour and household energy demand as per the EcoAct Whitepaper:

• Daily working hours - 8 hours 
• Annual leave allowance - 28 days(incl bank holidays)
• Renewable energy tariff - All employees are assumed to use standard grid-supplied energy. No employees operate on a renewable tariff or sources via direct onsite renewable generation.  
• The energy demand of lighting and workstation equipment = 150W. This assumes workstation (laptop/PC, monitor, phone and printer) energy usage = 140W + 10W ( lighting)
• Natural gas is the fuel source for all central heating systems. 
• Average energy consumption of a UK household - the average UK household uses 12,000kWh of natural gas each year, 77% of which is used for space heating in central heating systems. 
• The heating season last 182 days - from October until April 
• The average household has central heating running for 10 hours per day (this is the time temperature is being regulated and does not mean the boiler is actively heating for the entirety of this time).
• 2/3 homes would otherwise be unoccupied, resulting in a 66.7% incremental heating demand. (1/3 homes would be occupied regardless of remote working, resulting in no additional heating usage). 
• The central heating is operational for all hours worked remotely for the six months between October to April. 

No additional energy demand is calculated for the cooling of properties via air-conditioning units, as using such units is not common practise in the UK.

It is important not to input your home workers' energy usage into the energy section to avoid double counting their emissions and allocating them to the wrong scope. The energy section should be reserved when inputting energy usage for your business premises.

EcoAct Home Working 2020 Whitepaper

If you have any queries related to this information, please do reach out to us at [email protected] .