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Student house share vs Family of four in a house: Electricity Use Compared in France (2026)

Five students sharing a flat use about as much electricity as a family of four in a house, despite having no dryer, no dishwasher and no garage. Five people cooking separately, five laptops, and several bedroom fridges make up for the missing big appliances. Per person the students are cheaper, but per home they are not.

In France, student house share uses about 4,922 kWh a year (€82.03 a month) and family of four in a house about 6,034 kWh (€100.57 a month). That is 1.2× as much, or €18.53 more per month. Per person: 984 kWh vs 1,508 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 (3,100 ÷ 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 (3,800 ÷ 2,700). Priced at €0.20 per kWh (EDF Tarif Bleu, 2026-08).

Where the difference comes from

CategoryStudent house shareFamily of four in a houseDifference
Heating & cooling1,526 kWh1,871 kWh+345
Water heating753 kWh923 kWh+170
Refrigeration & freezing694 kWh851 kWh+157
Cooking354 kWh434 kWh+80
Washing, drying & dishwashing295 kWh362 kWh+67
TV, computing & network536 kWh658 kWh+122
Lighting153 kWh187 kWh+34
Other appliances610 kWh748 kWh+138

Only in the family of four in a house

Only in the student house share

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The same comparison in other countries

CountryStudent house shareFamily of four in a houseRatioExtra per month
United States (average)14,33613,0720.9×$-18.960
United Kingdom3,8003,8001.0×£0.000
Germany3,1003,8001.2×€21.58
France4,9226,0341.2×€18.53
Australia9,0087,3110.8×A$-49.496
Canada (average)7,41712,6941.7×C$61.57

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