Electricity Bill for a Couple in an apartment in Nova Scotia (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 Nova Scotia prices of 20.5¢ per kWh (source: Hydro-Québec 2025 comparison, Apr 2025), that is C$126.58 per month, or C$1,519 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); Nova Scotia differs from it mainly through climate and price, and the price is what changes the figure below. Canada statistics do not separate this household from student house share, so they share the same official figure.

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$531.65	35%
Water heating	1,113 kWh	C$227.85	15%
Refrigeration & freezing	742 kWh	C$151.90	10%
Cooking	223 kWh	C$45.57	3%
Washing, drying & dishwashing	445 kWh	C$91.14	6%
TV, computing & network	445 kWh	C$91.14	6%
Lighting	445 kWh	C$91.14	6%
Other appliances	1,409 kWh	C$288.61	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.

Through the day

Heating & cooling 35%
Water heating 15%
Refrigeration & freezing 10%
Cooking 3%
Washing, drying & dishwashing 6%
TV, computing & network 6%
Lighting 6%
Other appliances 19%

Illustrative shape of a typical day: each band's area equals that end use's share of 20.3 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 35% (C$531.65 a year), followed by other appliances at 19%.
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	13.5 h	742 kWh	C$151.90
Dishwasher	Washing, drying & dishwashing	1,500 W	37 min	334 kWh	C$68.36
LED Light Bulb ×8	Lighting	9 W	8.0 h	210 kWh	C$43.06
Laptop ×2	TV, computing & network	45 W	5.3 h	173 kWh	C$35.51
Television	TV, computing & network	100 W	3.4 h	125 kWh	C$25.65
Washing Machine	Washing, drying & dishwashing	500 W	37 min	111 kWh	C$22.79
Hair Dryer	Other appliances	1,800 W	9 min	99 kWh	C$20.18
Induction Cooktop	Cooking	1,800 W	8 min	92 kWh	C$18.86
Electric Oven	Cooking	2,500 W	4 min	64 kWh	C$13.09
Vacuum Cleaner	Other appliances	1,000 W	10 min	64 kWh	C$13.08
Computer Monitor	TV, computing & network	30 W	5.3 h	58 kWh	C$11.84
Wi-Fi Router	TV, computing & network	10 W	15.8 h	58 kWh	C$11.84
Coffee Maker (Drip)	Cooking	1,000 W	4 min	26 kWh	C$5.24
Electric Kettle	Cooking	2,000 W	2 min	23 kWh	C$4.71
Smart Speaker	TV, computing & network	3 W	15.8 h	17 kWh	C$3.55
Microwave	Cooking	1,000 W	2 min	13 kWh	C$2.62
Phone Charger ×2	TV, computing & network	10 W	1.3 h	10 kWh	C$1.97
Toaster	Cooking	1,000 W	1 min	5 kWh	C$1.05
Streaming Stick or Box	TV, computing & network	4 W	2.6 h	4 kWh	C$0.79
Small appliances, standby and items not listed	Other appliances	–	–	1,247 kWh	C$255.35
Additional lights and fittings	Lighting	–	–	235 kWh	C$48.08

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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.

Electricity Bill for a Couple in an apartment in Nova Scotia (2026)

Where the electricity goes

Through the day

What drives this household's bill

Appliance by appliance

The same household in other countries

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