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Electricity Bill for a Family of four in a house in Quebec (2026)
Two adults and two children in a house. Laundry every day, the dishwasher every night, the oven several times a week, and screens in most rooms. This is the profile most regulators use as the reference household.
A family of four in a house uses about 12,694 kWh of electricity a year. At Quebec prices of C$0.080 per kWh (source: Hydro-Québec 2025 comparison, 2025-04), that is C$84.63 per month, or C$1,016 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): Single detached house. 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.
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 | 4,443 kWh | C$355.43 | 35% |
| Water heating | 1,904 kWh | C$152.33 | 15% |
| Refrigeration & freezing | 1,269 kWh | C$101.55 | 10% |
| Cooking | 381 kWh | C$30.47 | 3% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 762 kWh | C$60.93 | 6% |
| TV, computing & network | 762 kWh | C$60.93 | 6% |
| Lighting | 762 kWh | C$60.93 | 6% |
| Other appliances | 2,412 kWh | C$192.95 | 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
What drives this household's bill
- Laundry is the big one: washing daily and drying half the loads is a fifth of the appliance total.
- Children's devices, consoles and a second TV push entertainment well above a couple's.
- Cooking for four means the oven runs most days; batch cooking and the air fryer are the savings.
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 | 13.9 h | 762 kWh | C$60.93 |
| LED Light Bulb ×18 | Lighting | 9 W | 9.4 h | 556 kWh | C$44.46 |
| Chest Freezer | Refrigeration & freezing | 100 W | 13.9 h | 508 kWh | C$40.62 |
| Clothes Dryer | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 3,000 W | 24 min | 435 kWh | C$34.82 |
| Desktop Computer | TV, computing & network | 150 W | 4.2 h | 228 kWh | C$18.23 |
| Dishwasher | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 1,500 W | 24 min | 218 kWh | C$17.41 |
| Outdoor Security Floodlight | Lighting | 30 W | 18.8 h | 206 kWh | C$16.47 |
| Hair Dryer ×2 | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 197 kWh | C$15.77 |
| Television ×2 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 2.1 h | 152 kWh | C$12.15 |
| Laptop ×2 | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 4.2 h | 137 kWh | C$10.94 |
| Induction Cooktop ×1.5 | Cooking | 1,800 W | 8 min | 136 kWh | C$10.86 |
| Electric Oven | Cooking | 2,500 W | 8 min | 126 kWh | C$10.05 |
| Washing Machine ×1.5 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 24 min | 109 kWh | C$8.70 |
| Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) | TV, computing & network | 180 W | 1.6 h | 103 kWh | C$8.20 |
| Vacuum Cleaner | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 15 min | 91 kWh | C$7.30 |
| Computer Monitor | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 4.2 h | 46 kWh | C$3.65 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 12.5 h | 46 kWh | C$3.65 |
| Electric Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery) | Other appliances | 1,200 W | 6 min | 44 kWh | C$3.50 |
| Air Fryer | Cooking | 1,500 W | 4 min | 38 kWh | C$3.02 |
| Electric Kettle ×2 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 30 kWh | C$2.41 |
| Smart Speaker ×2 | TV, computing & network | 3 W | 12.5 h | 27 kWh | C$2.19 |
| Coffee Maker (Drip) | Cooking | 1,000 W | 4 min | 25 kWh | C$2.01 |
| Microwave ×1.5 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 2 min | 19 kWh | C$1.51 |
| Phone Charger ×4 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 1.0 h | 15 kWh | C$1.22 |
| Toaster ×1.5 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 8 kWh | C$0.60 |
| Streaming Stick or Box ×2 | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 2.1 h | 6 kWh | C$0.49 |
| Garage Door Opener | Other appliances | 500 W | 1 min | 4 kWh | C$0.29 |
| Printer (Inkjet or Laser) | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 16 min | 3 kWh | C$0.23 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 2,076 kWh | C$166.08 |
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The same household in other countries
| Country | Official benchmark | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (average) | 13,072 kWh | $2,353 | $196.08 |
| United Kingdom | 3,800 kWh | £988.00 | £82.33 |
| Germany | 3,800 kWh | €1,406 | €117.17 |
| France | 6,034 kWh | €1,207 | €100.57 |
| Australia | 7,311 kWh | A$2,559 | A$213.24 |
| Canada (average) | 12,694 kWh | C$1,777 | C$148.10 |
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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