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Electricity Bill for a Couple in an apartment in Germany (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 1,900 kWh of electricity a year. At Germany prices of €0.37 per kWh (source: BDEW Strompreisanalyse August 2026, 2026-08), that is €58.58 per month, or €703.00 per year.
Benchmark: Stromspiegel für Deutschland (co2online, with the Federal Ministry for the Environment), average consumption by persons and building type: 2 persons, flat. Data as of 2024. It covers appliances and lighting; 'with hot water' variants add electric water heating; electric space heating is excluded.
Where the electricity goes
- TV, computing & network 29%
- Other appliances 26%
- Washing, drying & dishwashing 13%
- Lighting 12%
- Refrigeration & freezing 10%
- Cooking 10%
| End use | Per year | Cost | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigeration & freezing | 190 kWh | €70.30 | 10% |
| Cooking | 190 kWh | €70.30 | 10% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 247 kWh | €91.39 | 13% |
| TV, computing & network | 551 kWh | €203.87 | 29% |
| Lighting | 228 kWh | €84.36 | 12% |
| Other appliances | 494 kWh | €182.78 | 26% |
End-use shares: BDEW / Stromspiegel 2025: information & communication technology 29%, washing & drying 13%, lighting 12%, refrigeration 10%, cooking about 10%, remainder other. Electric hot water, where present, is the difference between the with- and without-hot-water Stromspiegel values. These shares are official. This benchmark excludes heating & cooling and water heating, which are on gas or counted separately in this country's statistics.
Through the day
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LED Light Bulb ×8 | Lighting | 9 W | 8.7 h | 228 kWh | €84.36 |
| Laptop ×2 | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 6.5 h | 215 kWh | €79.43 |
| Refrigerator | Refrigeration & freezing | 150 W | 3.5 h | 190 kWh | €70.30 |
| Dishwasher ×0.7 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 1,500 W | 29 min | 185 kWh | €68.54 |
| Television ×1.3 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 3.3 h | 155 kWh | €57.37 |
| Hair Dryer | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 99 kWh | €36.46 |
| Induction Cooktop | Cooking | 1,800 W | 7 min | 79 kWh | €29.09 |
| Computer Monitor | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 6.5 h | 72 kWh | €26.48 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 19.6 h | 72 kWh | €26.48 |
| Vacuum Cleaner ×0.7 | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 15 min | 64 kWh | €23.63 |
| Washing Machine ×0.7 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 29 min | 62 kWh | €22.85 |
| Electric Oven ×0.5 | Cooking | 2,500 W | 7 min | 55 kWh | €20.20 |
| Coffee Maker (Drip) | Cooking | 1,000 W | 4 min | 22 kWh | €8.08 |
| Smart Speaker | TV, computing & network | 3 W | 19.6 h | 21 kWh | €7.94 |
| Electric Kettle ×1.5 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 20 kWh | €7.27 |
| Phone Charger ×2 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 1.6 h | 12 kWh | €4.41 |
| Microwave | Cooking | 1,000 W | 2 min | 11 kWh | €4.04 |
| Streaming Stick or Box | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 3.3 h | 5 kWh | €1.77 |
| Toaster | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 4 kWh | €1.62 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 332 kWh | €122.68 |
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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.