Electricity Bill for a Couple in a house in Quebec (2026)

Two adults in a detached or semi-detached house. More rooms to light, a tumble dryer, a second fridge or freezer in the garage, and often a home office.

A couple in a house uses about 10,750 kWh of electricity a year. At Quebec prices of 8.3¢ per kWh (source: Hydro-Québec 2025 comparison, Apr 2025), that is C$74.26 per month, or C$891.18 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): Row, duplex or semi-detached. 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); Quebec 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 retired couple at home all day, 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	3,762 kWh	C$311.91	35%
Water heating	1,612 kWh	C$133.68	15%
Refrigeration & freezing	1,075 kWh	C$89.12	10%
Cooking	322 kWh	C$26.74	3%
Washing, drying & dishwashing	645 kWh	C$53.47	6%
TV, computing & network	645 kWh	C$53.47	6%
Lighting	645 kWh	C$53.47	6%
Other appliances	2,042 kWh	C$169.32	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 29.5 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$311.91 a year), followed by other appliances at 19%.
A house adds a dryer, a freezer and outdoor lighting, which is why, where statistics separate the two, two people in a house use noticeably more than two in a flat.
If either person works from home, a desktop and monitor run eight hours a day.
Garden tools and a pressure washer add little; a hot tub or pool pump adds a lot.

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	11.8 h	645 kWh	C$53.47
Chest Freezer	Refrigeration & freezing	100 W	11.8 h	430 kWh	C$35.65
LED Light Bulb ×14	Lighting	9 W	8.0 h	368 kWh	C$30.50
Clothes Dryer	Washing, drying & dishwashing	3,000 W	18 min	328 kWh	C$27.19
Desktop Computer	TV, computing & network	150 W	5.4 h	294 kWh	C$24.39
Dishwasher	Washing, drying & dishwashing	1,500 W	25 min	230 kWh	C$19.03
Outdoor Security Floodlight	Lighting	30 W	12.0 h	131 kWh	C$10.89
Television	TV, computing & network	100 W	3.5 h	127 kWh	C$10.57
Induction Cooktop	Cooking	1,800 W	11 min	120 kWh	C$9.92
Electric Oven	Cooking	2,500 W	8 min	116 kWh	C$9.65
Hair Dryer	Other appliances	1,800 W	9 min	99 kWh	C$8.17
Vacuum Cleaner	Other appliances	1,000 W	15 min	91 kWh	C$7.56
Laptop	TV, computing & network	45 W	5.4 h	88 kWh	C$7.32
Washing Machine	Washing, drying & dishwashing	500 W	29 min	87 kWh	C$7.25
Computer Monitor	TV, computing & network	30 W	5.4 h	59 kWh	C$4.88
Wi-Fi Router	TV, computing & network	10 W	16.1 h	59 kWh	C$4.88
Coffee Maker (Drip)	Cooking	1,000 W	5 min	33 kWh	C$2.76
Electric Kettle	Cooking	2,000 W	2 min	30 kWh	C$2.48
Electric Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery)	Other appliances	1,200 W	6 min	22 kWh	C$1.79
Microwave	Cooking	1,000 W	3 min	17 kWh	C$1.38
Phone Charger ×2	TV, computing & network	10 W	1.3 h	10 kWh	C$0.81
Toaster	Cooking	1,000 W	1 min	7 kWh	C$0.55
Streaming Stick or Box	TV, computing & network	4 W	2.7 h	4 kWh	C$0.33
Printer (Inkjet or Laser)	TV, computing & network	30 W	20 min	4 kWh	C$0.30
Garage Door Opener	Other appliances	500 W	1 min	4 kWh	C$0.30
Small appliances, standby and items not listed	Other appliances	–	–	1,827 kWh	C$151.50
Additional lights and fittings	Lighting	–	–	146 kWh	C$12.08

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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	2,700 kWh	€999.00	€83.25
France	4,287 kWh	€857.83	€71.49
Australia	5,237 kWh	A$1,833	A$152.75
Canada (average)	10,750 kWh	C$1,505	C$125.42

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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