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Electricity Bill for a Couple in an apartment in France (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 3,017 kWh of electricity a year. At France prices of €0.20 per kWh (source: EDF Tarif Bleu, 2026-08), that is €50.28 per month, or €603.40 per year.
Benchmark: 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 (1,900 ÷ 2,700). Data as of 2024. It covers average over all 32 million residential sites, about 12 million of which are electrically heated; no official split by household size exists.
Where the electricity goes
- Heating & cooling 31%
- Water heating 15%
- Refrigeration & freezing 14%
- Other appliances 12%
- TV, computing & network 11%
- Cooking 7%
- Washing, drying & dishwashing 6%
- Lighting 3%
| End use | Per year | Cost | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating & cooling | 935 kWh | €187.05 | 31% |
| Water heating | 462 kWh | €92.32 | 15% |
| Refrigeration & freezing | 425 kWh | €85.08 | 14% |
| Cooking | 217 kWh | €43.44 | 7% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 181 kWh | €36.20 | 6% |
| TV, computing & network | 329 kWh | €65.77 | 11% |
| Lighting | 94 kWh | €18.71 | 3% |
| Other appliances | 374 kWh | €74.82 | 12% |
End-use shares: ADEME Panel Elecdom, année 4 (2023), share of total household electricity: chauffage 26.3% + auxiliaires 1.8% + ventilation 2.9%, eau chaude 15.3%, froid 14.1%, cuisine 7.2%, audiovisuel 6.3% + informatique 4.6%, lavage/séchage 6.0%, éclairage 3.1%, other (extérieur, mobilité, divers) 12.4%. These shares are official.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Refrigeration & freezing | 150 W | 7.8 h | 425 kWh | €85.08 |
| Dishwasher ×0.7 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 1,500 W | 21 min | 136 kWh | €27.15 |
| Laptop ×2 | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 3.9 h | 128 kWh | €25.62 |
| Hair Dryer | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 99 kWh | €19.71 |
| LED Light Bulb ×8 | Lighting | 9 W | 3.6 h | 94 kWh | €18.71 |
| Television ×1.3 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 2.0 h | 93 kWh | €18.51 |
| Induction Cooktop | Cooking | 1,800 W | 8 min | 90 kWh | €17.98 |
| Vacuum Cleaner ×0.7 | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 15 min | 64 kWh | €12.77 |
| Electric Oven ×0.5 | Cooking | 2,500 W | 8 min | 62 kWh | €12.48 |
| Washing Machine ×0.7 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 21 min | 45 kWh | €9.05 |
| Computer Monitor | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 3.9 h | 43 kWh | €8.54 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 11.7 h | 43 kWh | €8.54 |
| Coffee Maker (Drip) | Cooking | 1,000 W | 4 min | 25 kWh | €4.99 |
| Electric Kettle ×1.5 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 22 kWh | €4.49 |
| Smart Speaker | TV, computing & network | 3 W | 11.7 h | 13 kWh | €2.56 |
| Microwave | Cooking | 1,000 W | 2 min | 12 kWh | €2.50 |
| Phone Charger ×2 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 59 min | 7 kWh | €1.42 |
| Toaster | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 5 kWh | €1.00 |
| Streaming Stick or Box | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 2.0 h | 3 kWh | €0.57 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 212 kWh | €42.34 |
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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.