Employees at Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq:JAVA) saved more than $1,700 per year in gasoline and wear and tear on their vehicles by working at home an average of 2.5 days a week, according to a study completed by the global technology company.
The company announced the findings of its Open Work Energy Measurement Project, an in-depth study of more than 100 participants in its flexible work program. The project sought to determine how much energy is consumed while working in a Sun office, while working at home, and during commuting to and from a Sun office.
Recently recognized by the Environmental Defense Fund as an innovative example of eco responsibility, Sun’s Open Work platform is an integrated suite of technologies, tools and workplace practices that enable Sun employees to work effectively virtually anywhere, anytime, using any device. Through this program, nearly 19,000 employees around the world work from home or in a flexible office, representing more than 56% of Sun’s employee population.
By comparing home and work energy use, Sun’s sustainable computing team sought to determine how the energy load is shifted from company to individual to answer the question: "Does Open Work really save energy, or just transfer energy cost and load to employees?"
Key findings of the study include:
- Office equipment energy consumption rate at a Sun office was two times that of home office equipment energy consumption, from approximately 64 watts per hour at home to 130 watts per hour at a Sun office.
- Commuting was more than 98% of each employee’s carbon footprint for work, compared to less than 1.7% of total carbon emissions to power office equipment.
- By eliminating commuting just 2.5 days per week, an employee reduces energy used for work by the equivalent of 5,400 Kilowatt hours/year.
- Working from home 2.5 days per week saved the employees in the study an average of 2.5 weeks of commute time (8 hours/day, 5 days/week).
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