A few months ago I started working from home instead of commuting to my office every day of the work week.
Working from home was a neat idea at my company that sprang up from the COVID-19 pandemic forcing everyone to stay at home.
My job is not one that necessitates people being on site to get their work done and be productive. I for one thoroughly enjoy staying at home and getting my work done there. It’s comfortable and enjoyable, but it has come with some drawbacks. For example, I am able to cook great meals for dinner every day now that I have the time to do so, but as a result, I am using the kitchen appliances far more often, and it is driving up our energy bill. Another thing that seems to be driving up the energy bill even more is me using the air conditioner all day. We used to turn the thermostat up to a high temperature when no one was in the house during the day, but no longer, since I’m at home working. I like to keep the thermostat at 70° throughout the day, and of course, that costs quite a bit in this hot climate. Me and my husband decided that we either needed to get a portable air conditioner system for my office or invest in a smart thermostat to mitigate these energy costs. We eventually decided on the smart thermostat. The level of customizing and control that the smart thermostat has afforded us allows us to save a whole lot of money on our energy bill!