Can ASN Work from Home Reduce National Fuel Consumption? Celios Analysis
The Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS) assesses that the work from home (WFH) policy for civil servants (ASN) one day per week will not have a significant impact on national fuel oil (BBM) consumption. According to CELIOS, the scheme, which begins every Friday, is too limited to affect the structure of domestic energy consumption.
CELIOS Public Policy Director, Media Wahyudi Askar, stated that national BBM consumption has not been supported by ASN mobility but is dominated by the logistics and industrial sectors. Therefore, reducing ASN trips to the office one day per week is deemed insufficient to lower BBM consumption on a national scale.
“If our national BBM consumption is not from ASN, but dominated by the logistics and industrial sectors,” said Wahyu to Republika.co.id on Wednesday (1/4/2026).
He assessed that the savings impact from the policy is very small when measured against the overall national energy subsidy burden. In CELIOS’s view, the step does not yet address the fiscal pressures and surge in energy costs facing the government.
“The real effect might not reach 1 percent of our total national energy subsidies,” Wahyu stated.
Previously, the government began implementing eight new policies from 1 April 2026 in response to global dynamics and efforts to achieve domestic efficiency. One of the main policies is WFH every Friday for central and regional ASN, accompanied by restrictions on official vehicles, cuts in official travel, and encouragement of public transport use. The government describes the policy as part of a national work culture transformation that is more adaptive and efficient.
Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Airlangga Hartarto, described the policy as part of a national work culture transformation to be more adaptive and productive amid global pressures. The government also estimates that implementing WFH could reduce BBM compensation by up to Rp 6.2 trillion.
However, CELIOS believes that the savings assumption needs to be viewed more carefully. Wahyu said that WFH does not automatically eliminate energy consumption but may only shift the energy usage burden from offices to households.
“WFH does not mean eliminating energy consumption. In the end, the consumption shifts to the home, from office to home,” he explained.
He elaborated that household electricity usage could increase when ASN work from home, from air conditioning, laptops, to the internet. At the same time, public mobility may not truly decrease because some people still engage in activities outside the home or work from other locations such as cafes.
From a bureaucratic perspective, CELIOS also warns of the risk of declining productivity if the work pattern is not accompanied by strict monitoring systems and performance targets. According to Wahyu, the costs from potential productivity declines could exceed the BBM savings from reduced daily commutes.
“The losses from this productivity decline could surpass the savings from not commuting,” he said.
The ASN WFH policy itself is reinforced through Circular Letter of the Minister of Home Affairs Number 800.1.5/3349/SJ. In the regulation, local governments are asked to implement a combination of work from office (WFO) and WFH, accelerate digital services, and calculate potential budget savings from the work pattern changes.
Minister of Home Affairs, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, stated that the policy is directed at encouraging a transformation in the work culture of regional ASN to be more effective and efficient. Public service units are still required to work from the office, while support units can implement WFH selectively while maintaining performance achievements.
CELIOS opines that if the government wants to reduce energy consumption and the impact of global oil price increases, the policies pursued should target the sectors contributing the most to energy consumption. Wahyu assessed that subsidies for mass transportation and efficiency in ineffective government spending would have more tangible impacts in the short term.