New Insights on Teleworkers’ Work-Related Preferences and Energy-Related Behaviors for Working Remotely During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Interview-Based Qualitative Analysis

While the teleworking concept as an energy-efficient alternative working arrangement has been around since the 1970s, the mandatory shift to working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic created the possibility to investigate the impacts of teleworking in more detail. However, the literature is scarce in this area, and therefore, it is essential to investigate the impacts of teleworking on teleworkers’ energy-related behaviors. As a result, this study aims to explore the overall impacts of teleworkers’ choices and preferences that have implications for overall energy use. This study relies on data from 14 participants, who moved at least 20 km away from their original place of residence within two years of the beginning of COVID-19 and started teleworking. In-depth interviews with teleworkers were focused on their backgrounds, changes in work and domestic routines and behaviors, preferences during teleworking, perception of costs associated with teleworking, and other related changes related to teleworking. Thematic analysis of the results suggests most participants moved to bigger houses in less accessible neighborhoods which caused acquiring cars. Most of them also opted to have dedicated home offices. Although some participants preferred working 100% remotely, the majority of participants had a tendency toward a hybrid model of working with an inclination toward more teleworking days per week. Overall, the results show teleworkers’ work-related preferences and energy-related behaviors for working remotely depend on marital status and household income. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that the overall energy use of participants has increased because of longer commute time, increased utility bills, and upgraded internet speed. This study maps out the interconnections between different domains of teleworking and provides data that can inform question item selection or development for quantitative surveys with larger samples.