Working from home (full time) - Extra payment required for electricity consumption by a Housemate

green_ocean

Hello, can someone please give an advise how to figure it out the expenses for working from home full time? 

The situation is that I'm sharing the house with 3 people, therefore we are 4 in the house. Two of us go to work since the restrictions 

were lifted in March, 1 goes to the university and only 1 works from home permanently as he doesn't want to commute anymore. 

We want to split the bills but the the person who WFH doesn't want to pay extra. The electricity bill reflects an increase in day usage and the bill

is higher because he is working from home. I am not sure also if the additional cost is because he cooks after work instead of eating in the canteen

at work and we know because when we arrive he is finishing cooking or already eating. Who knows what else he will be using (heating/fun, etc) as he is alone in the house.

Any help how to determinate the extra monthly payment in electricity that he shoul do due to WFH will be much appreciated.

kenny111

if you have a smart meter you would be able to see the usage hour by hour for each day.

green_ocean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119391561#Comment_119391561

Unfortunately we don't have a smart meter, that is why it is more difficult to have an estimation. We just wish to have an idea how much it will monthly for that. We don't know if his company pay him additional cost like internet of something similar as we heard some companies do, but he never wants to involve his company on this topic and that is suspicious.

Mrs OBumble

Are you telling us that the rest of you do do not cook in the house at all?

What sort of heating do you have?

keithb93

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058256182/working-from-home-full-time-extra-payment-required-for-electricity-consumption-by-a-housemate

The bill is higher because the rates have gone up twice since March. If you really want to be pedantic about it, find the wattage of his laptop and monitor and multiply it by hours worked and unit rate. I WFH and that adds about 8 euro to the monthly bill. Is 8 euro a month worth falling out with you housemate over?

Regarding cooking and not eating in the canteen, absolute rubbish. He can cook at home if he wants without having to pay more towards the electricity, maybe the canteen food is terrible. Lets hope you don't do something such as use the washing machine/ drier or shower more than him because by your logic you should pay more also.

green_ocean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119393351#Comment_119393351

not much really, 2 of us eat at work and in the evening just a subway sandwich, pizza delivery or so and 1 person cook twice a week.

green_ocean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119393492#Comment_119393492

We are aware of the rate increase but the point is the increase in units consumption. Good point about the washing as for a matter of fact he uses the washing machine more often than the rest. However, this is related to working from home and not related to evening or weekend laundry. I don't think you are pedantic for trying to solve a problem when someone is reluctant to pay for what he consumes in extra electricity. But thanks for the extra information.

feelings

Do you charge the house mate going to college more when during college break/summer? (i'm joking)

I think 10% of the monthly bill for WFH house mate, then split the remainder four ways.

e.g 200 - 20 (10%) = 180 | 180 / 4 = 45

House mate WFH pays 45 + 20 = 65, the rest of you pay 45 each.

electricity usage would be small enough, 10-15e extra depending on devices etc. It's the heating during the winter that would probably be on. They're not going to sit in a cold house during the day. So average the extra electricity and heating over the year, I think the 10% off the bill first is a good compromise.

I am sure the house mate working from home also is applying for the massive WFH tax relief... 🙄 But in fairness, better in their pocket. Get what you can!

magicbastarder

he uses the washing machine more often than the rest. However, this is related to working from home and not related to evening or weekend laundry.

curious as to how he'd generate more washing due to working from home?

sprucemoose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119395432#Comment_119395432

thats more your choice though rather over-use on that housemate's part, perfectly acceptable to all your meals at home if thats your (their) prerogative

shawki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119395432#Comment_119395432

Maybe stop stuffing your faces with takeaway and you mightn’t be stuck for cash by the time the electricity bill comes out.

MarkR

What does this housemate actually use for work while at home? A laptop and a screen? Perhaps a light on too. Work out how much that costs for 8 hours a day for 5 days. It's probably not that much.

Winter and heating will be the same, but can also be costed.

Be prepared to work out your own unit costs that others might find unfair!

Mrs OBumble

You have not said what type of heating you have.

If its storage heating, then the cost will be much the same, WFH or not.

If its a boiler, then your concern should be the oil bill, not the electricity.

You might also think about the arguments that may come up if one of you loses your job, or starts working nights,etc. What is someone goes on holiday for two weeks, or starts travelling for work should they not have to pay for any bills for a fraction of the month? What if someone gets sick or takes annual leave any stays home for a month, do they pay extra too?

In all, I think you are looking to make an argument over something to small too be worth arguing about.

hawaii501

For the sake of the 3 housemates saving a 5er or so it's not worth the hassle is it?

hungerjames

But I only had the soup!!

893bet

Bills split 4 ways is the only way. Swings and roundabouts after that.

green_ocean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119395517#Comment_119395517

Thank you very much for the example!!! Yes, probably the 10% of the bill would be a good compromise. I think so too that he applied for the tax relief. Thanks again for your reply.

green_ocean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119395558#Comment_119395558

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119395558#Comment_119395558

no the laundry is nothing to do with WFH. (well assuming that he is not using it neither the drier when he is all day long alone in the house). I just replied to an user that mentioned about the rest of us using the washing machine and I realized that by the way he uses more. However that is not relevant in this topic WFH charges.

brokenangel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058256182/working-from-home-full-time-extra-payment-required-for-electricity-consumption-by-a-housemate

It's his house, he can cook in the house. It is not his fault you don't. Do you give him a discount if he gets a take away one night?

The extra electricity for him staying during the day will be tiny...not sure why you are falling out over it

green_ocean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119395715#Comment_119395715

We wish it was just 5 euros, but the last bills increased in €100 and €70 and by coincidence is the same time when he decided to work from home and the rest of us were in our offices and one at the college.

PeaSea

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119396169#Comment_119396169

It is a coincidence - costs have gone up recently ! Using a laptop which charges at a low rate is negligible and a monitor can also be very low, a fraction of a TV screen. This is very petty imo.

green_ocean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119395691#Comment_119395691

It is a storage heating, but we are summer and when the heating will be used the bill will be different and we know that. This is nothing to do with people going on holidays, travell to work, get sick or anything like that. Please do NOT change the way of the discussion or confuse other people. This is about one person only working from home and by coincidence the last bill increased around hundred when he decided to work from home full time and the rest of us were not in the house. Before it was not a problem but since he decided to work from home the bills have increased a lot and he is so cheeky and doesn't want to pay anything at all.

PeaSea

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119396250#Comment_119396250

7p per day for the laptop and 23p per day for a large screen TV, a monitor will be less, so about 20p per day in total isn't an unreasonable guess, or £6 per month, so whoever guessed the €5 wasn't far out https://heatable.co.uk/boiler-advice/how-much-energy-do-appliances-use#:~:text=p%2FkWh).-,How%20Much%20Electricity%20Does%20A%20Laptop%20Use%3F,of%2017.5%20p%2FkWh).

One person working from home would not increase your bill by €100. Not even close.

I have been working from home for two years, and am the only person in my house doing so. My bill has increased quite a bit in the last few months too for no other reason than the suppliers have increased their rates.

It's unfair to try and blame the total increase on one housemate working from home. Honestly, this is so petty - do you charge him extra for using more toilet roll than you do because he is wfh too?

If I were him I'd move - I couldn't be doing with people quibbling over such small amounts and watching for how much one housemate uses the washing machine or cooker over the other.

shawki

Are you completely clueless?

Trying to pin all the electricity increases on one person, get a grip.

aboutireland

A neighbour had a similar problem although they were only 3 leaving in a house and as the unit consumption was very complicated to calculate, they decided that instead of pay between 10% and 15% of the bill, better to pay a fix amount of €38 per 2 months bill, which is about €19 per month. In that way they don't have to calculate bills every month and avoid the hassle and keep it simple.

I don't understand how people that consume something doesn't want to pay for it. That housemate who WFH is saving money anyway because he is not spending the €68 monthly transport to commute and definitively it's much cheaper to cook at home than to eat in his job and he is probably claiming for tax relief as well. If he doesn't want to pay even that, it seems that all of you live with a penny pincher 🤓 or a very cheeky person.

Good luck with it

wench

Compared to 2019, my bills have gone up by €100 per year while I've been working from home.

That is a 10% increase. However, unit rates have gone up 25% during the same period, along with extra carbon charges, etc.

Were your bills being read before? A sudden €100 increase could have been the result of cumulative under estimation previously.

PeaSea

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119396507#Comment_119396507

Hi green_ocean, how's it going ? Was it worth creating the account for this one post ?

green_ocean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119396518#Comment_119396518

Thank you for the information, about the estimation read vs the actual read might be the explanation. We will check that, thanks.

green_ocean

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119396507#Comment_119396507

Thanks for the information! It is a very good idea to have a fix amount to be paid monthly. I will tell the other housemates and hopefully we reach an agreement and avoid any hassle. Yes, you are probably right in the other points too.

rameire

Do ye share the toilet paper in house bills or is it bring your own roll?

Because if its a shared roll, you are missing out cause who knows what he will be doing with it while you are not there. He could be using it 3 or 4 times a day.