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4th April 2025 12:36 - Utilities

A new study reveals one in three employees wastes more energy at work despite adopting energy-saving measures at home: A recent survey has revealed that over a third (35%) of employees are far less conscientious about saving energy at work than at home andalmost three-quarters (73%) are unaware of their employer's energy expenditure.

The research, commissioned by Smart Energy GB, surveyed 1,000 small business employees to understand the energy-saving measures (if any) they try to adopt at work and found that nearly half of those surveyed were guilty of one or more energy wasting behaviours in their workplace.

Almost half of the respondents (49%) reported that they kept equipment plugged in when it was not in use and the same percentage stated that they were often too preoccupied with work to think about how they could be more energy efficient. Additionally, nearly two-fifths (38%) admitted forgetting to turn lights off in empty rooms and around the same percentage (37%) said they printed documents they didn’t need; meanwhile, about a fifth (18%) confessed they left doors or windows open when heating or air conditioning was on. Perhaps the most surprising finding is that just over one in 10 (12%) admitted to showering at work to reduce their energy consumption at home.

The other top 10 energy wastes at work respondents admitted to included using lifts instead of stairs for short trips, boiling kettles with more water than is needed, using personal heaters instead of central heating, using too much lighting in naturally bright areas and failing to switch off meeting room screens and/or projectors. More positively, however, nearly two-thirds of those polled (57%) said they would be likely to confront a colleague who was being wasteful.

While this absence of conscientiousness among employees about energy efficiency in the workplace could partly be attributed to a lack of awareness about what their employer spends on energy it could also be argued that employees may be less concerned about saving energy at work as they are not the ones paying for it. If so, how can businesses reduce energy waste among their employees and develop a culture where energy-saving at work becomes second nature?

Victoria Bacon, a director at Smart Energy GB said: “Employees are more mindful of energy use at home but, understandably, at work, they have their mind on other things. “The research shows there’s an opportunity for small businesses to bring staff on board when it comes to managing their energy use and encourage them to adopt more energy-saving behaviours in the workplace.”

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