Home › Households › Compare › France
Family of four in a house vs All-electric family house: Electricity Use Compared in France (2026)
Switching the same family from gas heating and hot water to electric can double or triple the electricity bill, even though the appliances have not changed. Heating is the largest energy use in any home, and moving it onto the electricity meter dwarfs everything else. Whether the total energy cost goes up depends on gas prices and on whether the electric heating is a heat pump or resistance.
In France, family of four in a house uses about 6,034 kWh a year (€100.57 a month) and all-electric family house about 13,290 kWh (€221.50 a month). That is 2.2× as much, or €120.93 more per month. Per person: 1,508 kWh vs 3,322 kWh a year.
Sources: France publishes no figure by household type. This is the Enedis national average of 4,287 kWh scaled by the German Stromspiegel ratio for this household type (3,800 ÷ 2,700). Enedis, Bilan électrique 2024: consommation moyenne annuelle par site résidentiel: Four-person all-electric home (ADEME range 13,000 to 20,000 kWh, low end). Not an Enedis figure. ADEME reports 13,000 to 20,000 kWh for fully electric homes; the low end is used and the excess over a gas-heated family home is assigned to heating. Priced at €0.20 per kWh (EDF Tarif Bleu, 2026-08).
Where the difference comes from
| Category | Family of four in a house | All-electric family house | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating & cooling | 1,871 kWh | 7,256 kWh | +5,385 |
| Water heating | 923 kWh | 1,338 kWh | +415 |
| Refrigeration & freezing | 851 kWh | 1,233 kWh | +382 |
| Cooking | 434 kWh | 630 kWh | +196 |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 362 kWh | 525 kWh | +163 |
| TV, computing & network | 658 kWh | 953 kWh | +295 |
| Lighting | 187 kWh | 271 kWh | +84 |
| Other appliances | 748 kWh | 1,084 kWh | +336 |
- In the all-electric home, heating and hot water are typically half to two-thirds of the electricity bill.
- A heat pump cuts that heating share by half or more compared with resistance heating.
- The appliance part of the bill is the same in both houses; only the heating line changes.
Only in the all-electric family house
- None
Only in the family of four in a house
- None
The same comparison in other countries
| Country | Family of four in a house | All-electric family house | Ratio | Extra per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (average) | 13,072 | 13,073 | 1.0× | $0.015 |
| United Kingdom | 3,800 | 6,100 | 1.6× | £49.83 |
| Germany | 3,800 | 4,700 | 1.2× | €27.75 |
| France | 6,034 | 13,290 | 2.2× | €120.93 |
| Australia | 7,311 | 7,311 | 1.0× | A$0.000 |
| Canada (average) | 12,694 | 17,750 | 1.4× | C$58.99 |