Home workers in Britain see savings hit by higher utility bills – ONS survey

theguardian.com:

People with children and renters are more likely to have seen their spending on utility bills increase while working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, official figures suggest.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that almost half of people who worked from home had spent less than they would have normally, with reduced costs for travel and food offset by an increase in spending on gas, electricity and internet access.

However, it said the change in spending patterns was more pronounced for some people in the survey of more than 3,000 adults in Great Britain undertaken by government statisticians last month.

As many as 92% of people working from home who live in rented accommodation reported increased spending on utilities, compared with 86% for home workers who were paying a mortgage and 77% for those who owned their homes outright.

It also found people working from home with children were more likely to report increased spending on food, utilities and internet access compared with home workers without children.

It comes as concerns mount over rising energy prices amid Britain’s cost of living crisis, with households expected to see a 54% increase in average gas and electricity bills from April. The government has announced plans to cushion the blow from rising prices, though charities warn millions of families will still be pushed into fuel poverty.

The ONS said overall rates of home working rose during December and January as more people stayed indoors due to the Omicron variant. However, rates remained significantly lower than earlier in the pandemic.

From 29% in September – the lowest since the pandemic began – the proportion of working adults who said they had worked from home at least once in the last