Electricity Bill for a Family of four in a house in Canada (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.

Where the electricity goes

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

• The largest share here is heating & cooling at 35% (C$622.01 a year), followed by other appliances at 19%.
• Laundry runs every day: a load a day with half of them through the dryer is the habit a family has that smaller households do not.
• 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 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.

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The same household in other countries

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.

Compare this household

• Single person in an apartment vs Family of four in a house
• Family of four in a house vs All-electric family house
• Student house share vs Family of four in a house

Other households in Canada

• Single person in an apartment6,583 kWh/yr
• Couple in an apartment7,417 kWh/yr
• Couple in a house10,750 kWh/yr
• Family of five or more in a house12,694 kWh/yr
• Student house share7,417 kWh/yr
• All-electric family house17,750 kWh/yr
• Retired couple at home all day10,750 kWh/yr

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