Household energy consumption and working from home in Australia

Household energy consumption is an important policy agenda in developed countries. As a result, studies on the root causes of household energy consumption are important for implementing policies. The paper contributes to policy and literature by examining the impact of working from home on households' energy consumption while considering the mediating effect of locus of control. The baseline results show that working from home increases a household's energy consumption. This finding is consistent across subsampling analysis and instrumental variable strategy. We identify locus of control as a mechanism of change through which working from home impacts a household's energy consumption.