Cost of returning to offices could cost North East businesses more than £4.4m this year

New research from a comparison service has shown that returning to offices will cost North East businesses more than £4.4m across the rest of the year.

Uswitch has reported that the return of common running costs like electricity will total more than £4.4m in laptop charging fees alone.

The research is based on home energy charges in the UK which, though typically more expensive than business rates on face value, the added VAT paid by business users means costs are comparable.

Sarah Broomfield, energy expert at Uswitch, commented: “During lockdown, many businesses will have benefitted from reduced energy costs simply through the fact their colleagues were no longer present in the office.

“However, as employees start to return to ‘normality’, those fees will return. The data in our study shows the potential impact of this cost to businesses and highlights the importance of reviewing spend.

“In order to make as many savings as possible, we recommend looking at business energy tariffs to ensure the business is getting the best deal.

“It’s also worthwhile encouraging colleagues to only charge their laptops when needed, and not to leave them on charge all day long. It’s these small changes that can make a big difference in the long run.”

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