Reducing Individual Cost of Living

Affecting Fuel Price Reduction By Reducing Demand

According to an article from the San Francisco Chronicle, "An estimated 1.35 billion gallons of gasoline could be conserved annually if every U.S. worker with the ability to telecommute did so 1.6 days per week, according to a report released today by the American Electronics Association.". This taken in conjunction with the idea that one barrel of oil will typically produce ~37 gallons of gasoline means reducing US oil demand by:

• 1.35B gallons / 37 gallons per barrel = 36.5M barrels of oil per year!
• 36.5M barrels / 365 days = 100,000 barrels per day (bpd)

While a 100,000 bpd reduction isn't going to make a significant dent in the worldwide price for oil, it is certainly a respectable step in the right direction and would have a considerable long term environmental impact. Also, keep in mind this only considers telecommuters in the US -- commuter mile reduction for telecommuters around the world could add a good deal to this number.

In the end it's not likely feasible for all workers to WFH 1.6 days/week. However, this number has the potential to be much higher for many workers -- perhaps as much as 4 or more days/week for certain job categories such as software development. And while this trade off might be made to reach the 1.6 day/week mark, there are other total carbon footprint issues to consider, such as the telecommuters' alternative working conditions. For instance, will they be running the air-conditioning at home on days they would otherwise leave the A/C off all day? Will they end up using other appliances more frequently such as washers/dryers, and big screen televisions? A more thoughtful approach should be made to keep telecommuters at home during ideal times of the year when air-conditioning is not needed, for example. During this time workers might consider working from more often than during the blazing heat of summer or frigid winter months. Moreover, accounting for regional weather patterns might be helpful in suggesting ideal times of year for telecommuters to WFH.