Sun Microsystems released the findings of its Open Work Energy Measurement Project yesterday morning. The in-depth study followed more than 100 participants in Sun’s telecommuting program to determine just how effective the program is.

The results of the study more than confirm Sun’s expectations: working from home only a few days a week is enough to significantly cut both costs and emissions. Their findings include the following:

• Commuting was more than 98 percent of each employee’s carbon footprint at work. Only 1.7 percent of the total carbon emissions in an employee’s year is from powering office equipment.
• Allowing employees to telecommute 2.5 days a week reduces each employee’s energy usage by 5,400 kilowatt hours per year.
• By working at home 2.5 days a week, an employee saves $1,700 of her own money in gasoline and vehicle maintenance costs.

Sun Microsystems’ Open Work program has been recognized as one of the most effective telecommuting platforms with organizations such as the Environmental Defense Fund holding them up a good example. Through the Open Work program, approximately 19.000 employees work from home either full or part-time, all over the world. That’s approximately 56 percent of Sun’s employee population.

Photo — FallenPegasus