Potential impact of work from home jobs on residential energy bills: A case study in phoenix, AZ, USA

• Published in: Journal of Building Engineering 2023-06, Vol.68, p.106063, Article 106063
• Main Author: Anand, Jyothis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Building occupancy; Cost of indoor thermal comfort; ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION; ENGINEERING; Residential energy bills; Simulation; Work from home
• ISSN: 2352-7102; 2352-7102
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jobe.2023.106063

Nearly one-third of U.S. households face challenges paying energy bills. During the day, many residents have routine access to cooled environments provided by others—employers, shopping centers, and other public buildings. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has significantly shifted the cost burden of air conditioning in hot cities. Specifically, during the pandemic, many companies either laid off employees or put them in work-from-home (WFH) assignments. Large tech companies are already promoting WFH as a long-term option for their employees, even after the pandemic. This change in the nature of the workforce might reduce daily travel expenses for workers, but could also significantly increase residential energy bills, particularly during summer in very hot climates. This study uses building energy simulations to quantify the potential residential energy bill penalties resulting from WFH for typical residences in Phoenix. Four building archetypes are used in this study to represent variations in building vintage, occupancy, and characteristics. The results show that, for some single-family residences in Phoenix, WFH can increase annual energy bills by more than $1100 (up to a 70% increase). The study also demonstrates that building performance enhancement retrofit measures have the potential to reduce this WFH energy bill penalty for the existing buildings substantially. •The use of air conditioning in hot climates is a major increase in household energy use while working from home.•The work from home jobs could raise annual energy costs by nearly $1100 per affected household.•The magnitude of the penalty will be higher for single-family houses than housing units in apartment complexes.•The retrofit measures have the potential to reduce this energy bill penalty for the existing buildings substantially.