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Electricity Bill for a Family of five or more in a house in Germany (2026)
A larger family, often with teenagers. Two fridges, laundry twice a day at peak, several consoles and computers, and long showers if hot water is electric.
A family of five or more in a house uses about 4,500 kWh of electricity a year. At Germany prices of €0.37 per kWh (source: BDEW Strompreisanalyse August 2026, 2026-08), that is €138.75 per month, or €1,665 per year.
Benchmark: Stromspiegel für Deutschland (co2online, with the Federal Ministry for the Environment), average consumption by persons and building type: 5 persons, house. Data as of 2024. It covers appliances and lighting; 'with hot water' variants add electric water heating; electric space heating is excluded.
Where the electricity goes
- TV, computing & network 29%
- Other appliances 26%
- Washing, drying & dishwashing 13%
- Lighting 12%
- Refrigeration & freezing 10%
- Cooking 10%
| End use | Per year | Cost | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigeration & freezing | 450 kWh | €166.50 | 10% |
| Cooking | 450 kWh | €166.50 | 10% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 585 kWh | €216.45 | 13% |
| TV, computing & network | 1,305 kWh | €482.85 | 29% |
| Lighting | 540 kWh | €199.80 | 12% |
| Other appliances | 1,170 kWh | €432.90 | 26% |
End-use shares: BDEW / Stromspiegel 2025: information & communication technology 29%, washing & drying 13%, lighting 12%, refrigeration 10%, cooking about 10%, remainder other. Electric hot water, where present, is the difference between the with- and without-hot-water Stromspiegel values. These shares are official. This benchmark excludes heating & cooling and water heating, which are on gas or counted separately in this country's statistics.
What drives this household's bill
- Teenagers add screens and long showers rather than cooking.
- Two laundry loads a day with a tumble dryer is the item to attack first.
- A second fridge in the garage often uses more than the main one because it is older.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clothes Dryer ×1.5 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 3,000 W | 13 min | 353 kWh | €130.74 |
| Refrigerator ×2 | Refrigeration & freezing | 150 W | 3.1 h | 338 kWh | €124.88 |
| LED Light Bulb ×22 | Lighting | 9 W | 4.7 h | 336 kWh | €124.40 |
| Hair Dryer ×3 | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 296 kWh | €109.39 |
| Television ×3 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 2.6 h | 280 kWh | €103.63 |
| Desktop Computer | TV, computing & network | 150 W | 5.1 h | 280 kWh | €103.63 |
| Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) ×2 | TV, computing & network | 180 W | 1.9 h | 252 kWh | €93.27 |
| Laptop ×3 | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 5.1 h | 252 kWh | €93.27 |
| Outdoor Security Floodlight ×2 | Lighting | 30 W | 9.3 h | 204 kWh | €75.40 |
| Induction Cooktop ×2 | Cooking | 1,800 W | 8 min | 172 kWh | €63.77 |
| Electric Oven ×1.3 | Cooking | 2,500 W | 8 min | 156 kWh | €57.57 |
| Dishwasher ×1.3 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 1,500 W | 13 min | 153 kWh | €56.65 |
| Chest Freezer | Refrigeration & freezing | 100 W | 3.1 h | 112 kWh | €41.62 |
| Computer Monitor ×2 | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 5.1 h | 112 kWh | €41.45 |
| Vacuum Cleaner | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 15 min | 91 kWh | €33.76 |
| Washing Machine ×2 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 13 min | 79 kWh | €29.05 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 15.3 h | 56 kWh | €20.73 |
| Electric Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery) | Other appliances | 1,200 W | 6 min | 44 kWh | €16.21 |
| Air Fryer | Cooking | 1,500 W | 4 min | 36 kWh | €13.28 |
| Smart Speaker ×2 | TV, computing & network | 3 W | 15.3 h | 34 kWh | €12.44 |
| Electric Kettle ×2 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 29 kWh | €10.63 |
| Phone Charger ×6 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 1.3 h | 28 kWh | €10.36 |
| Microwave ×2 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 2 min | 24 kWh | €8.86 |
| Coffee Maker (Drip) | Cooking | 1,000 W | 4 min | 24 kWh | €8.86 |
| Toaster ×2 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 10 kWh | €3.54 |
| Streaming Stick or Box ×2 | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 2.6 h | 7 kWh | €2.76 |
| Hair Straightener | Other appliances | 60 W | 15 min | 5 kWh | €2.03 |
| Garage Door Opener | Other appliances | 500 W | 1 min | 4 kWh | €1.35 |
| Printer (Inkjet or Laser) | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 19 min | 4 kWh | €1.30 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 730 kWh | €270.16 |
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The same household in other countries
| Country | Official benchmark | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (average) | 14,336 kWh | $2,580 | $215.04 |
| United Kingdom | 3,800 kWh | £988.00 | £82.33 |
| Germany | 4,500 kWh | €1,665 | €138.75 |
| France | 7,145 kWh | €1,429 | €119.08 |
| Australia | 9,008 kWh | A$3,153 | A$262.73 |
| 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.