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Electricity Bill for a Couple in a house in France (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 4,287 kWh of electricity a year. At France prices of €0.20 per kWh (source: EDF Tarif Bleu, 2026-08), that is €71.45 per month, or €857.40 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 (2,700 ÷ 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 | 1,329 kWh | €265.79 | 31% |
| Water heating | 656 kWh | €131.18 | 15% |
| Refrigeration & freezing | 604 kWh | €120.89 | 14% |
| Cooking | 309 kWh | €61.73 | 7% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 257 kWh | €51.44 | 6% |
| TV, computing & network | 467 kWh | €93.46 | 11% |
| Lighting | 133 kWh | €26.58 | 3% |
| Other appliances | 532 kWh | €106.32 | 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.
What drives this household's bill
- A house adds a dryer, a freezer and outdoor lighting, which is why two people in a house use about 40 percent 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. 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 | 6.6 h | 363 kWh | €72.54 |
| Chest Freezer | Refrigeration & freezing | 100 W | 6.6 h | 242 kWh | €48.36 |
| Desktop Computer | TV, computing & network | 150 W | 3.9 h | 213 kWh | €42.63 |
| Clothes Dryer ×0.5 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 3,000 W | 14 min | 131 kWh | €26.16 |
| Induction Cooktop | Cooking | 1,800 W | 10 min | 115 kWh | €22.91 |
| Electric Oven ×0.7 | Cooking | 2,500 W | 10 min | 111 kWh | €22.27 |
| Hair Dryer | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 99 kWh | €19.71 |
| Television ×1.3 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 1.9 h | 92 kWh | €18.47 |
| Dishwasher ×0.7 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 1,500 W | 14 min | 92 kWh | €18.31 |
| Vacuum Cleaner | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 15 min | 91 kWh | €18.25 |
| LED Light Bulb ×14 | Lighting | 9 W | 2.0 h | 90 kWh | €18.01 |
| Laptop | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 3.9 h | 64 kWh | €12.79 |
| Electric Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery) | Other appliances | 1,200 W | 6 min | 44 kWh | €8.76 |
| Outdoor Security Floodlight | Lighting | 30 W | 3.9 h | 43 kWh | €8.57 |
| Computer Monitor | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 3.9 h | 43 kWh | €8.53 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 11.7 h | 43 kWh | €8.53 |
| Washing Machine ×0.8 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 14 min | 35 kWh | €6.98 |
| Coffee Maker (Drip) | Cooking | 1,000 W | 5 min | 32 kWh | €6.36 |
| Electric Kettle ×1.5 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 2 min | 29 kWh | €5.73 |
| Microwave | Cooking | 1,000 W | 3 min | 16 kWh | €3.18 |
| Phone Charger ×2 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 58 min | 7 kWh | €1.42 |
| Toaster | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 6 kWh | €1.27 |
| Garage Door Opener | Other appliances | 500 W | 1 min | 4 kWh | €0.73 |
| Streaming Stick or Box | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 1.9 h | 3 kWh | €0.57 |
| Printer (Inkjet or Laser) | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 15 min | 3 kWh | €0.53 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 294 kWh | €58.87 |
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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 | 2,700 kWh | €999.00 | €83.25 |
| France | 4,287 kWh | €857.40 | €71.45 |
| 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.