After 14 years of commuting to the city from Kellyville, Raymund Manio now saves up to 2½ hours of travelling time each day by working at a “smart work centre” at Rouse Hill for two to three days a week.

“Being five minutes from home . . . allows me to get into the office earlier, when my mind is sharpest and I’m more productive,” he said. “I’m happier at work and happier at home.”

Mr Manio, who works as a commercial manager for an energy generation and management business, which is a subsidiary of the company that owns the Rouse Hill work hub, still commutes to the MLC centre in the city around two days a week.

Mr Manio said he was now able to attend school assemblies.

“I could never do that when I worked in the city,” he said.

A new study has found the creation of office spaces allowing people to work closer to home can also provide big savings for taxpayers.

The Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney, has identified potential demand for smart work centres for 1400 workers in Liverpool, 2050 in Blacktown and 1075 in Penrith, who spend up to 90 minutes travelling to work on any given day.

The analysis found that removing the need for those workers to commute to the city could save taxpayers and the workers involved up to $55 million a year.