PwC to shut Aberdeen office over festive season as energy bills soar

PwC will shut its Aberdeen office over the festive season as some of the world’s largest professional service firms try to reduce their energy bills.

With the cost of heating airy offices this winter putting a big dent in budgets, some of the biggest names in accountancy – such as PwC, KPMG and Deloitte – are counting the pennies and finding ways to economise.

Having all our offices open over the holiday period doesn’t make sense at a time of energy scarcity.”

Kevin Ellis, chairman and senior partner, PwC UK.

PwC has said there will be workspaces in nearby offices for staff who want it over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Many of the firm’s employees use this period as an opportunity to take time off, which would have left its offices much quieter than usual.

Martin Cowie, senior partner for PwC in Aberdeen, said: “We hope the festive period will give our people the chance to take a well-earned break.

“With the office typically being quieter during that time, and our people wanting us to continue doing our bit to reduce energy consumption, this year we will be taking the opportunity to reduce the space we heat and light by closing our Aberdeen office over the festive period.”

PwC has around 24,000 staff across 19 sites in the UK. Globally, the company employs nearly 328,000 people in 152 countries.

It will shut its main London site and a number of regional offices between Friday December 23 and Tuesday January 3.

The office in The Capitol, Aberdeen, will be closed from December 23 to Wednesday January 4.

Kevin Ellis, chairman and senior partner, PwC UK, said the group wanted to “do our bit to reduce energy consumption”.

He added: “Office life is hugely important to our culture and business — but having all our offices open over the holiday period doesn’t make sense at a time of energy scarcity.

“Our people want us to do our bit to reduce energy consumption.

“We’ve taken a pragmatic approach, ensuring some offices across the country remain open for those who need them.”

Christmas trading could be challenging for retailers this year with consumers planning to spend less this #Christmas. Read our #FestivePredictions to find out more: https://t.co/kXPWezCCFB pic.twitter.com/GMKNPlMryO

— PwC UK (@PwC_UK) December 1, 2022

Martin Findlay, senior partner for KPMG in Aberdeen, said: “We close from the evening of Friday 23 and reopen January 4.

“We have taken this approach for several years now in order to both give colleagues proper time off for the holidays and to minimise energy use in times of low demand.

“Clients always come first so we do what we need to in that regard; but we seek to manage their expectations in advance to, hopefully, allow all of us to get a proper break.”

Businesses and households throughout the UK are grappling with a huge increase in energy costs.

A surge in commodity prices earlier this year and the war in Ukraine have pushed up prices.