Homeworking-a measure to reduce energy consumption

The use of portable computers, fax machines, voice and data communications, and video communications, will allow many office workers to operate from remote locations. Meanwhile, the power and sophistication of electronic goods and communications devices continues to improve rapidly. It is therefore likely that many office workers could work for at least some of the time from their homes or from local offices. These arrangements are likely to become more common in the near future, and such working practices could have significant effect on energy efficiency, pollution, and social conditions. EA Technology is conducting a study of the effects on the overall energy consumption of office workers who change to spending a proportion of their time working from home or from business units in the suburbs. The project is identifying the energy and pollution associated with various modes of transport, and the energy and pollution associated with offices and homes where office work is carried out. The outcome will be a balance between these competing factors to show the effects of greater use of homeworking