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Electricity Bill for a Couple in an apartment in British Columbia (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 7,417 kWh of electricity a year. At British Columbia prices of C$0.13 per kWh (source: Hydro-Québec 2025 comparison, 2025-04), that is C$80.35 per month, or C$964.21 per year.
Benchmark: Natural Resources Canada, Survey of Household Energy Use 2019, Table 3.5a electricity intensity per household (GJ converted at 277.78 kWh/GJ): Low-rise apartment. Data as of 2019. It covers all electricity use; electric heating is common in Quebec, Manitoba and Atlantic Canada, which is why those averages are high. The consumption benchmark is national (Canada); British Columbia differs from it mainly through climate and price, and the price is what changes the figure below.
Where the electricity goes
- Heating & cooling 35%
- Other appliances 19%
- Water heating 15%
- Refrigeration & freezing 10%
- Washing, drying & dishwashing 6%
- TV, computing & network 6%
- Lighting 6%
- Cooking 3%
| End use | Per year | Cost | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating & cooling | 2,596 kWh | C$337.47 | 35% |
| Water heating | 1,113 kWh | C$144.63 | 15% |
| Refrigeration & freezing | 742 kWh | C$96.42 | 10% |
| Cooking | 223 kWh | C$28.93 | 3% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 445 kWh | C$57.85 | 6% |
| TV, computing & network | 445 kWh | C$57.85 | 6% |
| Lighting | 445 kWh | C$57.85 | 6% |
| Other appliances | 1,409 kWh | C$183.20 | 19% |
End-use shares: Derived. NRCan publishes residential end-use shares for all fuels (space heating 59%, water heating 19%, appliances 14%, lighting 4%, cooling 3%, 2023) but not for electricity alone; electricity shares here are an approximation that treats roughly half of Canadian homes as electrically heated. Some of these shares are derived rather than published; see the note.
What drives this household's bill
- 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. 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 | 13.5 h | 742 kWh | C$96.42 |
| Dishwasher ×0.7 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 1,500 W | 52 min | 334 kWh | C$43.39 |
| LED Light Bulb ×8 | Lighting | 9 W | 10.0 h | 263 kWh | C$34.16 |
| Laptop ×2 | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 5.3 h | 173 kWh | C$22.54 |
| Television ×1.3 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 2.6 h | 125 kWh | C$16.28 |
| Washing Machine ×0.7 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 52 min | 111 kWh | C$14.46 |
| Hair Dryer | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 99 kWh | C$12.81 |
| Induction Cooktop | Cooking | 1,800 W | 8 min | 92 kWh | C$11.97 |
| Electric Oven ×0.5 | Cooking | 2,500 W | 8 min | 64 kWh | C$8.31 |
| Vacuum Cleaner ×0.7 | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 15 min | 64 kWh | C$8.30 |
| Computer Monitor | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 5.3 h | 58 kWh | C$7.51 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 15.8 h | 58 kWh | C$7.51 |
| Coffee Maker (Drip) | Cooking | 1,000 W | 4 min | 26 kWh | C$3.32 |
| Electric Kettle ×1.5 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 23 kWh | C$2.99 |
| Smart Speaker | TV, computing & network | 3 W | 15.8 h | 17 kWh | C$2.25 |
| Microwave | Cooking | 1,000 W | 2 min | 13 kWh | C$1.66 |
| Phone Charger ×2 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 1.3 h | 10 kWh | C$1.25 |
| Toaster | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 5 kWh | C$0.66 |
| Streaming Stick or Box | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 2.6 h | 4 kWh | C$0.50 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 1,247 kWh | C$162.08 |
| Additional lights and fittings | Lighting | – | – | 182 kWh | C$23.69 |
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The same household in other countries
| Country | Official benchmark | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (average) | 10,648 kWh | $1,917 | $159.72 |
| United Kingdom | 2,500 kWh | £650.00 | £54.17 |
| Germany | 1,900 kWh | €703.00 | €58.58 |
| France | 3,017 kWh | €603.40 | €50.28 |
| 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.