How much is home working costing us?
WORKING from home has the nation divided. Some people love it and never want to go into an office again, while others can’t find anything good to say about it.
We hear about economies such as savings on crowded commuter journeys and overpriced sandwiches – but have you checked how much it might be adding to your utility bills?
Data experts at Anchor Pumps decided to find out how much extra working from home could be adding to our electricity, gas and water bills as we heat our homes longer and cook lunches, rather than using electricity, heating and water at work.
They found those living in a one to two-bedroom property will have paid an average extra £156.80 on their utility bills between March and December last year, £3 more each week. Bigger three to four-bedroom homes will have shelled out £219.20 extra, £4.25 per week.
The study compared energy consumption at the weekend – when we are home more – with a weekday prior to the pandemic. The general rule is that a 20% increase in energy consumption was seen at weekends – and that’s how much extra we are using when working at home in the week.
SUBURBAN APPEAL
CITY living is losing its appeal with first-time buyers who now prefer more subdued locations.
Despite the allure of better career prospects and higher salaries in major cities, more than seven in 10 potential first-time buyers are planning to buy in towns, suburbs and rural locations, according to online mortgage broker Trussle.
Higher house prices in urban locations play a big factor in this trend, leaving younger buyers priced out of the city markets.
This trend runs alongside lenders ditching low-deposit mortgage products, making it harder for first-time buyers to scrape together deposits needed for funding expensive city homes.