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Work-from-Home May Not Save as Much Energy as Southeast Asia Hopes
Southeast Asia Expands Work-from-Home for Energy Savings
Governments across Southeast Asia are expanding work-from-home arrangements for civil servants to alleviate the impact of soaring energy costs, largely triggered by the Iran war. Indonesia, for instance, implemented a Friday work-from-home policy on April 1, projecting savings of approximately 6.2 trillion rupiah (US$361.5 million) in state fuel subsidies and nearly ten times that amount in total consumption. The Philippines has similarly introduced a four-day work week, indicating a regional trend towards remote work as an energy crisis mitigation strategy.
Analysts Skeptical of Expected Energy Savings
However, analysts caution that work-from-home policies may not yield the expected energy savings. Contrary to initial projections, factors such as increased household energy consumption could mean that actual savings fall short of government estimates. They emphasize the need for a more thorough analysis of how energy usage patterns change with the shift to remote work.
*Source: SCMP (2026-04-21)*
