Electricity Bill for a Couple in an apartment in Australia (2026)

Two adults in a flat, both working, cooking most evenings. A dishwasher and a second laptop appear, the washing machine runs more often, and the TV is on longer.

A couple in an apartment uses about 5,237 kWh of electricity a year. At Australia prices of 35.0¢ per kWh (source: AER Default Market Offer 2026–27, Jul 2026), that is A$152.75 per month, or A$1,833 per year.

Benchmark: Australian Energy Regulator, Residential energy consumption benchmarks (Frontier Economics, December 2020), temperate climate zone (Sydney), households without a swimming pool: 2 people. Data as of 2020-12. It covers all electricity use including cooling and any electric heating; cool-climate zones (Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart) run 10 to 60% higher. Australia statistics do not separate this household from couple in a house or retired couple at home all day, so they share the same official figure.

Where the electricity goes

Heating & cooling 40%
Water heating 21%
Refrigeration & freezing 10%
Other appliances 9%
Lighting 6%
TV, computing & network 6%
Washing, drying & dishwashing 6%
Cooking 3%

End use	Per year	Cost	Share
Heating & cooling	2,095 kWh	A$733.18	40%
Water heating	1,100 kWh	A$384.92	21%
Refrigeration & freezing	508 kWh	A$177.80	10%
Cooking	147 kWh	A$51.32	3%
Washing, drying & dishwashing	293 kWh	A$102.65	6%
TV, computing & network	304 kWh	A$106.31	6%
Lighting	314 kWh	A$109.98	6%
Other appliances	477 kWh	A$166.80	9%

End-use shares: Australian Government YourHome: heating and cooling about 40% and water heating 15 to 27% of household energy, lighting 5 to 10%. Appliance sub-split derived from US RECS proportions. These are energy shares, not electricity shares, and are approximate. Some of these shares are derived rather than published; see the note.

Through the day

Heating & cooling 40%
Water heating 21%
Refrigeration & freezing 10%
Cooking 3%
Washing, drying & dishwashing 6%
TV, computing & network 6%
Lighting 6%
Other appliances 9%

Illustrative shape of a typical day: each band's area equals that end use's share of 14.3 kWh a day, peaking around 19:00. The timing is a standard household pattern, not a measurement, and it changes with season and habits.

What drives this household's bill

The largest share here is heating & cooling at 40% (A$733.18 a year), followed by water heating at 21%.
The second person adds far less than double: the fridge, router and lighting are shared.
Dishwasher plus washing machine are the swing items; eco cycles cut both by a third.
A desktop or gaming PC instead of laptops can add a quarter to the total.

Appliance by appliance

Each end-use bucket above is spread over this household's appliances in proportion to their typical use, never at more than twice that use or more hours than the appliance can realistically run. What the listed appliances cannot account for appears as "not listed" rows, so the table still adds up to the official figures. Hours are implied, not measured.

Appliance	End use	Typical	Hours/day	Per year	Cost
Refrigerator	Refrigeration & freezing	150 W	9.3 h	508 kWh	A$177.80
Dishwasher	Washing, drying & dishwashing	1,500 W	24 min	220 kWh	A$76.98
LED Light Bulb ×8	Lighting	9 W	8.0 h	210 kWh	A$73.58
Laptop ×2	TV, computing & network	45 W	3.6 h	118 kWh	A$41.42
Hair Dryer	Other appliances	1,800 W	9 min	99 kWh	A$34.49
Television	TV, computing & network	100 W	2.3 h	85 kWh	A$29.91
Washing Machine	Washing, drying & dishwashing	500 W	24 min	73 kWh	A$25.66
Vacuum Cleaner	Other appliances	1,000 W	10 min	64 kWh	A$22.36
Induction Cooktop	Cooking	1,800 W	6 min	61 kWh	A$21.24
Electric Oven	Cooking	2,500 W	3 min	42 kWh	A$14.75
Computer Monitor	TV, computing & network	30 W	3.6 h	39 kWh	A$13.81
Wi-Fi Router	TV, computing & network	10 W	10.8 h	39 kWh	A$13.81
Coffee Maker (Drip)	Cooking	1,000 W	3 min	17 kWh	A$5.90
Electric Kettle	Cooking	2,000 W	1 min	15 kWh	A$5.31
Smart Speaker	TV, computing & network	3 W	10.8 h	12 kWh	A$4.14
Microwave	Cooking	1,000 W	1 min	8 kWh	A$2.95
Phone Charger ×2	TV, computing & network	10 W	54 min	7 kWh	A$2.30
Toaster	Cooking	1,000 W	1 min	3 kWh	A$1.18
Streaming Stick or Box	TV, computing & network	4 W	1.8 h	3 kWh	A$0.92
Small appliances, standby and items not listed	Other appliances	–	–	314 kWh	A$109.95
Additional lights and fittings	Lighting	–	–	104 kWh	A$36.39

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The same household in other countries

Country	Official benchmark	Per year	Per month
United States (average)	10,648 kWh	$1,953	$162.74
United Kingdom	2,500 kWh	£658.00	£54.83
Germany	1,900 kWh	€703.00	€58.58
France	3,017 kWh	€603.70	€50.31
Australia	5,237 kWh	A$1,833	A$152.75
Canada (average)	7,417 kWh	C$1,038	C$86.53

Each row uses that country's own regulator benchmark and average price, in local currency. Differences reflect climate, heating fuel and appliance ownership as much as price.

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