The way we work has been transformed over the past few years, with hybrid and remote working becoming increasingly commonplace. In this blog we look at our organisation’s estimated emissions from these sources, and the potential impacts ignoring these changes could have.
The way we work has been transformed over the past few years, with hybrid and remote working becoming increasingly commonplace. This has had a profound effect on how many of us live day-to-day, but it has also reduced emissions related to commuting (Scope 3) and given an opportunity to reduce emissions by rationalising building estates. However, is this a real emissions reduction or have we just moved emissions from the organisation to its employees?
Inaccurate estimations of this change are likely to occur, and it has been ignored completely by some organisations. In this blog we look at our organisation’s estimated emissions from these sources, and the potential impacts ignoring these changes could have.
Figure 1 above shows the stark change in estimated Working from home (WFH) and commuting emissions that has occurred since 2019 here at Kent County Council’s Commercial Services Group. Our Scope 3 WFH emissions have increased a huge 1555% from 18-19 to 21-22, as working from home in both a permanent and hybrid capacity has become widespread across the organisation. Contrastingly, the emissions from employee commuting have decreased 67% over the same period. These two changes resulted in our combined emissions from WFH and commuting decreasing by 33% between 2018/19 and 2021/22. This helps demonstrate the scale of change that WFH represented for us and highlights one of the benefits of WFH and hybrid working. However, this may not be the case for all businesses, and therefore it is vital to have a grasp of these changing emissions.
Without accounting for these new emissions that have been exported to employees, it can be difficult to assess progress towards net zero goals. This can impact details of future carbon reduction plans, resulting in inaccurate target setting, potentially leading to missed net zero targets in the future. By using a methodology considering the wattage of average homework equipment, along with average hours of heating employees use due to working from home, an estimate can be made.
LASER have supported around 20 public bodies with planning their journey to net-zero via our Roadmap service. This includes monitoring and forecasting future emissions in line with the Green House Gas Protocol. The roadmap also includes an options appraisal element which calculates the potential savings from a wide range of carbon saving actions and creates a plan which can be enacted.
This blog was written by Freddie Williams, Zero Carbon Researcher.
At LASER we can provide a carbon roadmap service, allowing you to develop a robust plan to reach targets, while tracking your progress throughout the transition to net zero. If you have any questions about our zero carbon solutions and would like to find out more please reach out to our team.
The race to net zero emissions requires a collective effort. But how do we navigate the complexities of carbon reduction? Steve Marks, Head of Carbon Advisory, dives into the practical steps public bodies can take to embark on their decarbonisation journey.
Is your school looking for ways to lead its students to become green champions in energy conservation? Here’s our guidance on getting started.
Blue Light services face a unique road to net zero: electric fleets, aging infrastructure, and funding hurdles. In this blog, we share the sectors challenges, insights and considerations.