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Electricity Bill for a Family of four in a house in the UK (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 3,800 kWh of electricity a year. At United Kingdom prices of £0.26 per kWh (source: Ofgem price cap 1 Jul–30 Sep 2026, 2026-07), that is £82.33 per month, or £988.00 per year.
Benchmark: Ofgem Typical Domestic Consumption Values, decision May 2026, effective 1 July 2026: High 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.
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 | 570 kWh | £148.08 | 15% |
| Cooking | 331 kWh | £86.18 | 9% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 327 kWh | £84.96 | 9% |
| TV, computing & network | 341 kWh | £88.60 | 9% |
| Lighting | 196 kWh | £50.98 | 5% |
| Other appliances | 2,035 kWh | £529.20 | 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
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 | 6.2 h | 342 kWh | £88.85 |
| Chest Freezer | Refrigeration & freezing | 100 W | 6.2 h | 228 kWh | £59.23 |
| Hair Dryer ×2 | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 197 kWh | £51.25 |
| Clothes Dryer | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 3,000 W | 10 min | 187 kWh | £48.55 |
| LED Light Bulb ×18 | Lighting | 9 W | 2.4 h | 143 kWh | £37.20 |
| Induction Cooktop ×1.5 | Cooking | 1,800 W | 7 min | 118 kWh | £30.72 |
| Electric Oven | Cooking | 2,500 W | 7 min | 109 kWh | £28.44 |
| Desktop Computer | TV, computing & network | 150 W | 1.9 h | 102 kWh | £26.51 |
| Dishwasher | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 1,500 W | 10 min | 93 kWh | £24.28 |
| Vacuum Cleaner | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 15 min | 91 kWh | £23.73 |
| Television ×2 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 56 min | 68 kWh | £17.67 |
| Laptop ×2 | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 1.9 h | 61 kWh | £15.91 |
| Outdoor Security Floodlight | Lighting | 30 W | 4.8 h | 53 kWh | £13.78 |
| Washing Machine ×1.5 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 10 min | 47 kWh | £12.14 |
| Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) | TV, computing & network | 180 W | 42 min | 46 kWh | £11.93 |
| Electric Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery) | Other appliances | 1,200 W | 6 min | 44 kWh | £11.39 |
| Air Fryer | Cooking | 1,500 W | 4 min | 33 kWh | £8.53 |
| Electric Kettle ×2 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 26 kWh | £6.83 |
| Coffee Maker (Drip) | Cooking | 1,000 W | 4 min | 22 kWh | £5.69 |
| Computer Monitor | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 1.9 h | 20 kWh | £5.30 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 5.6 h | 20 kWh | £5.30 |
| Microwave ×1.5 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 2 min | 16 kWh | £4.27 |
| Smart Speaker ×2 | TV, computing & network | 3 W | 5.6 h | 12 kWh | £3.18 |
| Phone Charger ×4 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 28 min | 7 kWh | £1.77 |
| Toaster ×1.5 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 7 kWh | £1.71 |
| Garage Door Opener | Other appliances | 500 W | 1 min | 4 kWh | £0.95 |
| Streaming Stick or Box ×2 | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 56 min | 3 kWh | £0.71 |
| Printer (Inkjet or Laser) | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 7 min | 1 kWh | £0.33 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 1,700 kWh | £441.89 |
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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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