Electricity Bill for a Couple in a house in the UK (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 2,500 kWh of electricity a year. At United Kingdom prices of 26.3p per kWh (source: Ofgem price cap 1 Oct–31 Dec 2026, Oct 2026), that is £54.83 per month, or £658.00 per year.

Benchmark: Ofgem Typical Domestic Consumption Values, decision May 2026, effective 1 July 2026: Medium user (single-rate). Data as of 2026-07. It covers Profile Class 1 is standard single-rate homes, mostly gas heated. Profile Class 2 is multi-rate (Economy 7) homes, typically electrically heated. United Kingdom statistics do not separate this household from couple in an apartment or retired couple at home all day, so they share the same official figure.

Where the electricity goes

Other appliances 54%
Refrigeration & freezing 15%
TV, computing & network 9%
Cooking 9%
Washing, drying & dishwashing 9%
Lighting 5%

End use	Per year	Cost	Share
Refrigeration & freezing	375 kWh	£98.62	15%
Cooking	218 kWh	£57.39	9%
Washing, drying & dishwashing	215 kWh	£56.58	9%
TV, computing & network	224 kWh	£59.01	9%
Lighting	129 kWh	£33.95	5%
Other appliances	1,339 kWh	£352.44	54%

End-use shares: DESNZ Energy Consumption in the UK 2025, Table U3, domestic electricity 2024: space heating 14.5%, water heating 4.1%, cooking 7.1%, lighting 4.2%, appliances 70.1%. The split of 'appliances' into cold, wet, electronics and other is not published and is derived from US RECS proportions. Some of these shares are derived rather than published; see the note. This benchmark excludes heating & cooling and water heating, which are on gas or counted separately in this country's statistics.

Through the day

Refrigeration & freezing 15%
Cooking 9%
Washing, drying & dishwashing 9%
TV, computing & network 9%
Lighting 5%
Other appliances 54%

Illustrative shape of a typical day: each band's area equals that end use's share of 6.8 kWh a day, peaking around 18:00. 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 other appliances at 54% (£352.44 a year), followed by refrigeration & freezing at 15%.
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	4.1 h	225 kWh	£59.17
Chest Freezer	Refrigeration & freezing	100 W	4.1 h	150 kWh	£39.45
Clothes Dryer	Washing, drying & dishwashing	3,000 W	6 min	109 kWh	£28.77
Desktop Computer	TV, computing & network	150 W	1.9 h	102 kWh	£26.91
Hair Dryer	Other appliances	1,800 W	9 min	99 kWh	£25.94
Vacuum Cleaner	Other appliances	1,000 W	15 min	91 kWh	£24.02
LED Light Bulb ×14	Lighting	9 W	1.9 h	87 kWh	£23.00
Induction Cooktop	Cooking	1,800 W	7 min	81 kWh	£21.30
Electric Oven	Cooking	2,500 W	5 min	79 kWh	£20.71
Dishwasher	Washing, drying & dishwashing	1,500 W	8 min	77 kWh	£20.14
Television	TV, computing & network	100 W	1.2 h	44 kWh	£11.66
Outdoor Security Floodlight	Lighting	30 W	3.8 h	42 kWh	£10.95
Laptop	TV, computing & network	45 W	1.9 h	31 kWh	£8.07
Washing Machine	Washing, drying & dishwashing	500 W	10 min	29 kWh	£7.67
Coffee Maker (Drip)	Cooking	1,000 W	4 min	22 kWh	£5.92
Electric Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery)	Other appliances	1,200 W	6 min	22 kWh	£5.69
Computer Monitor	TV, computing & network	30 W	1.9 h	20 kWh	£5.38
Wi-Fi Router	TV, computing & network	10 W	5.6 h	20 kWh	£5.38
Electric Kettle	Cooking	2,000 W	2 min	20 kWh	£5.33
Microwave	Cooking	1,000 W	2 min	11 kWh	£2.96
Toaster	Cooking	1,000 W	1 min	4 kWh	£1.18
Garage Door Opener	Other appliances	500 W	1 min	4 kWh	£0.96
Phone Charger ×2	TV, computing & network	10 W	28 min	3 kWh	£0.90
Streaming Stick or Box	TV, computing & network	4 W	56 min	1 kWh	£0.36
Printer (Inkjet or Laser)	TV, computing & network	30 W	7 min	1 kWh	£0.34
Small appliances, standby and items not listed	Other appliances	–	–	1,124 kWh	£295.84

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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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