The real cost of working from home during coronavirus lockdown

Working and schooling in lockdown could add hundreds of dollars to your family electricity bill if you’re not careful. These are the main money-guzzlers and what you can do to cut the running costs.

You may be saving money on petrol or public transport, but your power bill could take a hit as you work and learn from home.

Working from home could hit your electricity bill hard, experts say.

The warning comes as Energy Networks Australia shared its best tips for slashing work-from-home costs, and RACV revealed how much workers were saving by staying at home.

Energy Networks Australia chief executive Andrew Dillon said the biggest culprits were heating and cooling your home during work hours.

These could add more than $2 a day to your energy bill and constitute well over half your daily power usage.

“Lowering the temperature on your heater by one degree can save up to 10 per cent on your power bill,” Mr Dillon said.

“Setting your air conditioner to 24C for cooling and your heater to 18C or 19C can significantly lower your electricity use.”

Power for the average laptop would cost about 3c a day based on eight hours of usage (plus an extra 6c a day if you are also using a computer monitor), and this would be multiplied per laptop for any children learning from home.

But it’s not all bad news – RACV data reveals Victorians are saving about $24 a week on vehicle running costs when compared with this time last year.

RACV corporate affairs general manager Bryce Prosser said the reason for this was two-fold.

“The average price of fuel is 33.8 cents per litre cheaper compared to last April, and many motorists are driving less and saving more on commuting costs as result of working from home,” he said.

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“RACV recognises that any saving at this time is a welcome relief for many Victorians, with transport costs one less expense to worry about during these challenging time.”

Public transport commuters were currently avoiding myki costs, which could range from $45 for a seven-day ticket (Zone 1 & 2, full fare) to $151.20 for a 28-day pass.

Using myki money can set you back $9 a day.