How to Cut Energy Use in Your Home Office, Step by Step

Coworkism earns from purchases made through the MaviGadget links in this post.

The quickest way to cut home office energy use is to deal with what runs when you are not working: standby devices, idle screens and lights left on. After that, light the desk instead of the room, and heat or cool only the space you actually use.

Where does a home office actually use power?

Four things account for most of it: lighting, the computer and screens, the small devices that stay plugged in, and heating or cooling. A laptop alone draws little. The bigger costs tend to be a second monitor, a printer, a router, chargers, and a room kept at a comfortable temperature for eight hours.

That makes the order of work simple: fix what is wasteful for no benefit first, then look at comfort.

What should I switch off first?

Start with standby power, because it gives you nothing in return. Products that are switched off or in standby can still draw electricity while plugged in. A U.S. Department of Energy bulletin says this accounts for 5 percent to 10 percent of residential energy use.

• Plug the monitor, dock, speakers, printer and chargers into one power strip with a switch.
• Flip it off when you finish for the day.
• Leave your router and anything that needs to stay on, such as a network drive, on a separate outlet so you do not cut your connection by accident.

If your connection is the thing you rely on most, our guide to reliable internet for remote workers covers what is worth keeping powered.

How should I set up the computer and screens?

Settings cost nothing and work every day.

• Sleep timers: Set the display to turn off after a few minutes idle and the computer to sleep soon after. Both Windows and macOS have this in their power or battery settings.
• Brightness: A screen at full brightness in a bright room is rarely needed. Lower it until it is comfortable.
• Laptop over desktop: Laptops are generally built to draw less power than desktops. If you are buying anyway, that is worth weighing.
• Energy Star: When you replace a monitor, printer or computer, the Energy Star label marks products that meet efficiency requirements. Do not replace working gear just for this.

How do I light a desk without lighting the room?

Place the desk so daylight reaches your work surface, ideally from the side so it does not glare on the screen. In the evening, a single desk lamp aimed at your work does the job of a ceiling fixture at a fraction of the power.

If you still have old bulbs, LED bulbs use less electricity for the same light and last longer. Pick a warm or neutral white that suits you, and turn the light off when you leave the room, even briefly.

Do I need to heat or cool the whole home?

Not usually. Heating and cooling are often the largest part of a home's energy use, so this is where habits matter most.

1. Close the office door and condition that room only, if your system allows it.
2. Seal obvious drafts around windows and doors.
3. Dress in layers in cold weather, and light clothing in hot weather, before changing the thermostat.
4. Use a fan for air movement in summer; it cools you, not the room, so switch it off when you leave.
5. If you have a programmable or smart thermostat, set it to match your working hours.

Ask a qualified heating or electrical professional before altering ducts, vents or wiring. Those are not DIY jobs.

Does this change if I work from different places?

The same habits travel. If you move your setup between rooms or a shared space, a compact kit with a switchable power strip and a single lamp keeps things tidy. See our guide to building a portable home office kit for ideas. In a coworking space you do not control the heating or lighting, but you can still sleep your laptop and unplug your own chargers when you leave.

What is a sensible order to do all this?

1. Put gear on a switched power strip (a few minutes to set up).
2. Turn on sleep and lower screen brightness.
3. Move to daylight and a desk lamp.
4. Heat or cool only the office and seal drafts.
5. Replace equipment only when it fails, choosing efficient models.

If you want tools to make the setup easier, MaviGadget has a collection of gadgets for work from home.

You will not need to do everything. The first two steps cost nothing and cover the part of your usage that does no work for you.