Working From Home Is Cutting Carbon Emissions But Commuters Need More Support

Working from home is cutting carbon emissions but commuters still need to rely on the car when they go into their workplace, new research1 from The Green Insurer, which is focused on helping drivers reduce carbon emissions and drive in a more environmentally friendly way, shows.

Its study found cars dominate the commute – 74% use their vehicles as one of their ways of commuting compared to just 20% relying on buses, 17% on trains, 6% on tube or metro and 2% on trams. Around 18% say that a major part of their journey to work is done on foot.

The Green Insurer, which offers car insurance policies that calculate a customer’s Green Driving Score, believes insurers can do more to help commuters continue to reduce their carbon footprint in line with the switch to working from home at least part of the time.

Nearly three in five (58%) employees now work at least part of their week from home with 10% saying they work entirely from home and never travel into an office, while 49% say that they work two or more days a week from home.

Not having to commute is cited as one of the top three benefits of the growth of working from home with 58% selecting that compared with 48% choosing flexibility and convenience, and 40% selecting saving money on travel, lunch or work clothes. Around 38% say they have an improved work-life balance while 30% point to fewer interruptions from colleagues. Around 12% included reducing their carbon footprint as an advantage of working from home.

It’s not all positive working from home - 50% say the lack of social interaction can be a disadvantage while 33% worry about the blurring of work and personal life and 31% said that family or household matters can be distracting. Technical issues from Wi-Fi or computers are a worry for 22%, and 18% say they have lost a room at home as it is now a workspace. One in four (25%) say there’s nothing negative about working from home.

Paul Baxter, CEO, The Green Insurer, said:
“Most commutes into work are still being done by car and the insurance industry can play its part in helping motorists who want to drive in a more environmentally conscious way to do so.

“Millions of employees work from home at least part of the time resulting in fewer vehicles on the road, directly contributing to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. If someone works from home2, for two or more days a week they can significantly reduce their carbon footprint.

“We launched our car insurance policies with environmentally conscientious drivers in mind. They are particularly attractive to those people who need to drive but who have also got concerns about environmental sustainability and who wish to reduce their personal carbon footprint.”

The Green Insurer has launched car insurance policies that customers can buy direct from its website at www.thegreeninsurer.com and through leading price comparison websites. A customer’s Green Driving Score will be used to calculate their renewal premium and to offer discounts when they renew. Policies are linked to a mobile app, which monitors how customers drive.

Every mile driven by customers will be offset using a range of carbon offset projects which are assessed for their carbon and environmental effectiveness as well as the social impact on the people and communities where they are based.

All customer enquiries to The Green Insurer will be dealt with by humans based in the UK rather than chatbots or overseas call centres.

Up to 70 companies have partnered with The Green Insurer to offer rewards and discounts including ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury’s Waitrose, Iceland and Morrisons plus retailers Clarks, Harvey Nichols, Halfords, Habitat and Waterstone’s as well as restaurant chains Zizzi, Ask Italian and Café Rouge. On a weekly supermarket shop of £200 a 6% discount would be worth more than £600 a year.

Independent and green offers include eco laundry capsules, eco clothing, refillable natural deodorant, sustainable sunglasses from Coral Eyewear and National Trust membership. The company plans to expand the number of rewards partners and is contacting companies who can also sign up on its website. It will also add other insurance partners in the future and potentially expand the types of policies it offers.