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Family of four in a house vs Family of five or more in a house: Electricity Use Compared in France (2026)

A fifth person adds less than the fourth did. Larger families use more, mostly through laundry, a second fridge and more screens, but the per-person figure keeps falling. The US and Australian benchmarks show the step from four to five people is around 10 to 20 percent.

In France, family of four in a house uses about 6,034 kWh a year (€100.57 a month) and family of five or more in a house about 7,145 kWh (€119.08 a month). That is 1.2× as much, or €18.52 more per month. Per person: 1,508 kWh vs 1,429 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). 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 (4,500 ÷ 2,700). Priced at €0.20 per kWh (EDF Tarif Bleu, 2026-08).

Where the difference comes from

CategoryFamily of four in a houseFamily of five or more in a houseDifference
Heating & cooling1,871 kWh2,215 kWh+344
Water heating923 kWh1,093 kWh+170
Refrigeration & freezing851 kWh1,007 kWh+156
Cooking434 kWh514 kWh+80
Washing, drying & dishwashing362 kWh429 kWh+67
TV, computing & network658 kWh779 kWh+121
Lighting187 kWh221 kWh+34
Other appliances748 kWh886 kWh+138

Only in the family of five or more in a house

Only in the family of four in a house

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The same comparison in other countries

CountryFamily of four in a houseFamily of five or more in a houseRatioExtra per month
United States (average)13,07214,3361.1×$18.96
United Kingdom3,8003,8001.0×£0.000
Germany3,8004,5001.2×€21.58
France6,0347,1451.2×€18.52
Australia7,3119,0081.2×A$49.50
Canada (average)12,69412,6941.0×C$0.000

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