Study: Work from home helps the environment, Bay Area leads the way

Working from home two to four days a week promotes meaningful environmental benefits, according to a new study from CoworkingMag. 

Hybrid work  — now embraced by more than 22 million Americans — have become an integral part of today’s work landscape, and their influence reaches far beyond the office. What was popularized as a temporary shift during the pandemic has transformed the way work is done — and, as it turns out, workers' impact on the environment.

The study highlights the environmental implications of working from home comparing the evolution of five metrics in 2022 versus 2019: commute times, air quality, vehicle fuel carbon footprint, gas consumption and electricity consumption.

Data highlights for the Bay Area from 2019 to 2022:

• San Jose is #3 and San Francisco #4 among large U.S. cities when looking at the metrics. Oakland is #2 among mid-sized U.S. cities, and Fremont #6 and Concord #10 among the small U.S. cities analyzed;
• San Jose has a 288% increase in remote work and a 6.8% cut in commute length; 
• San Francisco registered a 255% surge in remote work, contributing to a 5.9% reduction in commute times;
• Oakland follows suit with a 203% increase in WFH rates and a 5.7% drop in commute times — also the third-highest decrease in its population bracket;
• Fremont proves that small cities can make a big impact, with remote work adoption increasing by 346% and placing #6 spot among small cities in this category. Concord saw a WFH increase of 163% and commute times dropping by 5.6%, earning it a #10 spot;
• Together, the Bay Area cities showcase WFHs  environmental impact. They reduced vehicle carbon emissions by 8.3%, cut gas consumption by 5.9% and improved energy efficiency, evidenced by a 0.9% decline in electricity consumption.

Full data set and methodology here:https://coworkingmag.com/blog/work-from-home-and-the-environment/