Home › Households › Family of four in a house › Illinois
Electricity Bill for a Family of four in a house in Illinois (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 13,072 kWh of electricity a year. At Illinois prices of $0.20 per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), that is $217.87 per month, or $2,614 per year.
Benchmark: EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020, Table CE2.1, average kWh per household using electricity: 4-person household. Data as of 2020. It covers all electricity use including electric heating, air conditioning and water heating where present. The consumption benchmark is national (United States); Illinois differs from it mainly through climate and price, and the price is what changes the figure below.
Where the electricity goes
- Heating & cooling 40%
- Other appliances 18%
- Water heating 12%
- Refrigeration & freezing 10%
- Lighting 6%
- TV, computing & network 6%
- Washing, drying & dishwashing 6%
- Cooking 3%
| End use | Per year | Cost | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating & cooling | 5,216 kWh | $1,043 | 40% |
| Water heating | 1,569 kWh | $313.73 | 12% |
| Refrigeration & freezing | 1,268 kWh | $253.60 | 10% |
| Cooking | 366 kWh | $73.20 | 3% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 732 kWh | $146.41 | 6% |
| TV, computing & network | 758 kWh | $151.64 | 6% |
| Lighting | 810 kWh | $162.09 | 6% |
| Other appliances | 2,353 kWh | $470.59 | 18% |
End-use shares: EIA RECS 2020, Tables CE5.1a and CE5.1b (electricity by detailed end use). Heating & cooling includes air handlers, fans and dehumidifiers; electronics is TVs and related; computers fall in 'other'. These shares are official.
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 | 761 kWh | $152.16 |
| LED Light Bulb ×18 | Lighting | 9 W | 10.0 h | 591 kWh | $118.26 |
| Chest Freezer | Refrigeration & freezing | 100 W | 13.9 h | 507 kWh | $101.44 |
| Clothes Dryer | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 3,000 W | 23 min | 418 kWh | $83.66 |
| Desktop Computer | TV, computing & network | 150 W | 4.1 h | 227 kWh | $45.37 |
| Outdoor Security Floodlight | Lighting | 30 W | 20.0 h | 219 kWh | $43.80 |
| Dishwasher | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 1,500 W | 23 min | 209 kWh | $41.83 |
| Hair Dryer ×2 | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 197 kWh | $39.42 |
| Television ×2 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 2.1 h | 151 kWh | $30.24 |
| Laptop ×2 | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 4.1 h | 136 kWh | $27.22 |
| Induction Cooktop ×1.5 | Cooking | 1,800 W | 8 min | 130 kWh | $26.09 |
| Electric Oven | Cooking | 2,500 W | 8 min | 121 kWh | $24.16 |
| Washing Machine ×1.5 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 23 min | 105 kWh | $20.92 |
| Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) | TV, computing & network | 180 W | 1.6 h | 102 kWh | $20.41 |
| Vacuum Cleaner | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 15 min | 91 kWh | $18.25 |
| Computer Monitor | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 4.1 h | 45 kWh | $9.07 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 12.4 h | 45 kWh | $9.07 |
| Electric Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery) | Other appliances | 1,200 W | 6 min | 44 kWh | $8.76 |
| Air Fryer | Cooking | 1,500 W | 4 min | 36 kWh | $7.25 |
| Electric Kettle ×2 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 29 kWh | $5.80 |
| Smart Speaker ×2 | TV, computing & network | 3 W | 12.4 h | 27 kWh | $5.44 |
| Coffee Maker (Drip) | Cooking | 1,000 W | 4 min | 24 kWh | $4.83 |
| Microwave ×1.5 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 2 min | 18 kWh | $3.62 |
| Phone Charger ×4 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 1.0 h | 15 kWh | $3.02 |
| Toaster ×1.5 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 7 kWh | $1.45 |
| Streaming Stick or Box ×2 | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 2.1 h | 6 kWh | $1.21 |
| Garage Door Opener | Other appliances | 500 W | 1 min | 4 kWh | $0.73 |
| Printer (Inkjet or Laser) | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 16 min | 3 kWh | $0.57 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 2,017 kWh | $403.43 |
Start from this household in the bill estimator and adjust it to yours →
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.
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
- Family of four in a house vs Family of five or more in a house
- Student house share vs Family of four in a house