4 Lifestyle
PROMOTIONAL CONTENT
Is working from home actually better for the planet? It might be a natural assumption that a generalised move of the nation’s workforce to working from home would be a better thing for the environment, but does it hold up under closer analysis? With the monumental shift in working patterns that occurred during the 2020 lockdowns, the nation as a whole saw a huge drop in commuter numbers, the closure of office spaces and most of their retail • services, such as food and hospitality, fall silent. With this vast change in working and living patterns, one would think there would be a net-energy saving, as• cars and trains didn’t run, offices were not switched on, and sandwich shops and restaurants remained dormant with no consumables created. However, broader analysis is now showing that an overall fall in workplace energy consumption as a result of UK lockdowns in 2020 was largely cancelled out by an increase in personal usage, as the government’s work from home advice increased the nation’s reliance on personal gas and electricity. According to research by business energy supplier, Gazprom Energy, 37% more personal energy was used in 2020, due to increased reliance on home lighting, heating and the use of home appliances
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while working from home. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) estimates the average household uses 3,731 kWh per year. A year-on-year consumption increase of 37% adds a further 1,380 kWh per year to each household’s consumption – over one-third more energy per household – as homeworkers charge laptops and phones, watch television, heat water and run the heating throughout the day. Daniel Sullivan, head of UK sales at Gazprom Energy, commented on the increase: “While we have all been taking the necessary health and safety precautions during the pandemic and reducing business travel, it is interesting to look at the consumption of energy by the
nation and see where fluctuations happen. A fragmented workforce has resulted in fewer shared appliances and electronics, and an increase in individual activity has increased electricity and gas consumption as a result. “Energy-saving measures that are present in the workplace may not be present in the home, such as energy-efficient lighting and smart metering, meaning efficiency is lost as a result of hybrid working. Businesses also benefit from economies of scale when their workforce is in one location using shared heating, cooling and energy for appliances and equipment.” Although a net increase in energy consumption is inevitable for many businesses due to more
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hybrid working, as the energy use of their more disparate workforces increases, there are ways that individuals can reduce their consumption depending on their situation and businesses should be actively communicating these to their employees.
In 2020, BrewDog became the world’s first carbon-negative brewery. It’s all part of their mission to become the most sustainable drinks brand on the planet. They’ll be doing this by building a bio-plant, using wind turbines to power the brewery, delivering beer via electric vehicles and transitioning to a zero-waste business. Brewdog believe that now is the time to be radical in everything they do. Visit brewdog.com for more. by Barnaby Dracup
Ecozone’s new-in The free app that eco-friendly cleaning turns your footsteps and laundry essentials into forests Win one-of-two of Ecozone’s new eco-friendly cleaning and laundry essentials packages, worth £50 each!
Discover the plant-based power of Ecozone’s sustainable cleaning and laundry, with the chance to win their brand-new Cleaning Kit with ecocleaning essentials, plus plastic-free laundry musthaves – Pure Oxygen Power Whitening and Power Brightening Tablets in new 48-tab pack sizes. The Cleaning Kit contains everything you need to kick-start your eco-cleaning journey: their Tough Degreasing Kitchen Cleaner Spray, Tough Limescale Remover Spray, MultiPurpose Appliance Descaler, 12 tablets of their FragranceFree Washing Machine & Dishwasher Cleaner, and a pack of Fragrance-Free Enzymatic Drain Cleaning Sticks, which contain enough sticks to provide a year’s worth of protection.
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Also included is Ecozone’s new, 48 tablet pack sizes of their Pure Oxygen Power Whitening and Power Brightening Tablets, designed to bring your clothes back to life by removing stains and grime with no toxic chemicals. The Power Whitening Tablets will have your whites looking brand new and brighter
than ever, while the Power Brightening Tablets will revive your colours and leave your clothes looking better than ever.
Find out more Visit ecozone.com to discover more eco-friendly solutions.
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*Mangroves among the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics (Nature Geoscience, 2011).
Enter online at checklists.co.uk/win/ecozone2
Treekly is empowering people to contribute to the health of the planet whilst walking. There is no single easy solution to climate change but planting millions of trees is a key part of it. Purposefully set as an achievable goal, maintain a daily walking habit of 5,000 steps for five days in a week, and in return one mangrove tree is planted on your behalf in Madagascar. These ‘super trees’ capture three to four times more carbon than rainforests*, using their unique root system which can store it for thousands of years. Now, you can plant trees and offset your carbon footprint as you walk. Sustainable brands fund these trees by sponsoring the app one week at a time. The renowned tree planting organisation, Eden Reforestation Projects, plant the mangrove trees. They
involve local, impoverished communities providing fair wage employment. It’s simple. The more often you walk, the more trees you plant. You can see your trees grow, challenge friends to some healthy competition, and improve your Climate Impact Score, all in one app.
Find out more Download Treekly today and they’ll give you an extra five trees. Use code STARTFIVE to redeem your free trees. Follow @treekly_org or visit treekly.org to get started today.
*Mangroves among the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics (Nature Geoscience, 2011).
Earn trees every week to help reduce your carbon footprint with Treekly – download today to get an extra five free trees
