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Single person in an apartment vs Family of four in a house: Electricity Use Compared in Germany (2026)

A family of four uses roughly two to three times the electricity of a single person, not four times. The fridge, router, lighting and standby loads are shared, so each extra person adds less than the first. Per head, the single person is the most expensive household there is.

In Germany, single person in an apartment uses about 1,200 kWh a year (€37.00 a month) and family of four in a house about 3,800 kWh (€117.17 a month). That is 3.2× as much, or €80.17 more per month. Per person: 1,200 kWh vs 950 kWh a year.

Sources: Stromspiegel für Deutschland (co2online, with the Federal Ministry for the Environment), average consumption by persons and building type: 1 person, flat. Stromspiegel für Deutschland (co2online, with the Federal Ministry for the Environment), average consumption by persons and building type: 4 persons, house. Priced at €0.37 per kWh (BDEW Strompreisanalyse August 2026, 2026-08).

Where the difference comes from

CategorySingle person in an apartmentFamily of four in a houseDifference
Refrigeration & freezing120 kWh380 kWh+260
Cooking120 kWh380 kWh+260
Washing, drying & dishwashing156 kWh494 kWh+338
TV, computing & network348 kWh1,102 kWh+754
Lighting144 kWh456 kWh+312
Other appliances312 kWh988 kWh+676

Only in the family of four in a house

Only in the single person in an apartment

  • None
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The same comparison in other countries

CountrySingle person in an apartmentFamily of four in a houseRatioExtra per month
United States (average)7,18413,0721.8×$88.32
United Kingdom1,6003,8002.4×£47.67
Germany1,2003,8003.2×€80.17
France1,9056,0343.2×€68.82
Australia3,1097,3112.4×A$122.56
Canada (average)6,58312,6941.9×C$71.30

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