Working from home

GN2020

Hi everyone,

At the moment I’m working from home due to injury.

Cut a long story short, I’ve torn the cartilage in my knee and I’m waiting for surgery, which is next months.
My occupational health department has said I am to work from home
until, and after my surgery so it’s advised from a medical professional. 

My energy bills are going to increase a bit because of this so I was just wondering if anyone knows whether there’s anything I can claim to assist with my energy bills or do utility companies give any kind of help for this kind of thing? 

I’ve never been in this position before that’s all.

Thank you  

Flugelhorn

I think quite a few people found this during some of the lockdowns, there was some sort of tax allowance I think (I wasn;t able to work from home so don;t know whole details) - reckon most people found that often no commuting costs etc offset the cost of extra heating 
I have a relative who works from home 3 days a week and that "saves" £30 in commuting 

sammyjammy

The only help available is a tax refund/reduction of £1.20 a week but even that probably wouldn't apply in your circumstances because its paid where your employer says you should work from home.

elsien

That’s the trade off - no commuting costs and possibly cheaper/food drinks if you’re in the habit of buying things while you’re out. 

Swings and roundabouts.
 I work from home and I don’t find it makes a huge amount of difference to my energy costs because I put layers on and just turn up the radiator in the room that I’m in, not the whole house. I do however a save a fair amount of petrol.
 

The working from home allowance is if you’re contracted to work from home, I’m not sure how applicable it is just for a couple of months and if your contract still says office based. If your employer doesn’t pay at home working allowance, (they probably won’t because your contract  hasn’t changed) then you can claim tax relief, but it’s only on the interest of the £6 pw allowance so it’s probably not worth the hassle for  a limited amount of time. Even if you’re eligible which you probably aren’t. Because your contract will still say office-based as the plan is for you to return there.

https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home

Undervalued

GN2020 said:

Hi everyone,

At the moment I’m working from home due to injury.

Cut a long story short, I’ve torn the cartilage in my knee and I’m waiting for surgery, which is next months.
My occupational health department has said I am to work from home
until, and after my surgery so it’s advised from a medical professional. 

My energy bills are going to increase a bit because of this so I was just wondering if anyone knows whether there’s anything I can claim to assist with my energy bills or do utility companies give any kind of help for this kind of thing? 

I’ve never been in this position before that’s all.

Thank you  

But unless you walk or cycle to work your commuting costs are going to decrease. Plus you will not be spending however long you would have spent travelling......

Savvy_Sue

We're home quite a lot during the day, sometimes spending serious time at the computer, but we don't have the heating on all day. I have a heated seat pad and an oversized hoodie with a large pouch pocket into which I can fit a hot water bottle, neither of which I can bear for more than short periods. Then I start to melt. 

We both wear gilets, and you can get ones which heat up: I have hand warmers I never wear and fluffy socks I swear by! I layer: today it's thin leggings under my trousers, a thin jumper under my shirt and the gilet. If I was cold I'd put a cardigan on, and if I expected it to be cold there'd a vest under the jumper. Actually that's pretty much what I used to wear to the office, because I'd get very cold waiting for buses and trains! 

Our housemate wears a woolly hat indoors. I'll sometimes put a scarf on. It's astonishing how warm that can make you feel.