In a Bord Gáis Energy survey of 1,000 people, almost 40pc said they are concerned about using more energy while they work from home.
A recent survey carried out by Bord Gáis Energy found that many home workers in Ireland are concerned about using more energy while working from home.
Out of 1,000 people surveyed by the energy provider, 61pc said they are using light and heat for longer periods while working from home and 42pc said they are relying more on Wi-Fi and personal appliances. Almost 40pc of respondents said they are concerned about higher energy use, particularly through kitchen appliances being used to prepare all meals.
According to Bord Gáis, which conducted the research to mark the launch of its new smart plans, 47pc of those surveyed are finding it hard to separate their work and home lives under the current circumstances. More than half said they are spending more time working on weekends than they did before the pandemic and 71pc said they are struggling to make the weekends feel different to weekdays.
Alongside work, people are also using their weekends to carry out household chores (53pc), invest in a new hobby or skill (almost half), exercise (32pc), bake (31pc) and spend time on arts and crafts (19pc).
Looking ahead, more than a half (56pc) said they would continue spending more time with their family post-lockdown and 51pc said they hope to continue with a better work-life balance and enjoy more time at home. A third said they would keep up their new hobby or exercise routines.
Another recent survey from insurance provider Laya Healthcare suggested that employees working from home in Ireland have put in nearly 300m hours of overtime since the start of the pandemic. In a survey of more than 1,000 people, almost two-thirds said they feel pressure to stay connected after normal working hours, resulting in an average of 22 hours of overtime each month over the past year.
