Costs, tax and budget
Does remote work save CO₂?
Working from home can reduce emissions by eliminating commutes. The size of the overall effect depends, among other things, on the mode of transport, the distance and the additional or saved energy consumption at home and in the office.
A commute calculator can estimate the share of commuting. For an overall view, however, it is not enough to count only avoided car trips while office space continues to be heated or cooled unchanged.
Under the GHG Protocol, commuting belongs to Scope 3 category 7; emissions from teleworking can additionally be considered there. A calculator result should be disclosed with its assumptions and not labelled a complete climate balance.
Key points
- Avoided commutes are the biggest lever
- Net off energy use at home and in the office
- Commuting = Scope 3, category 7 under the GHG Protocol
Sources
Related onyo pages
This page provides professional orientation, not legal or tax advice.