Electricity Bill for a Family of five or more in a house in the UK (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 3,800 kWh of electricity a year. At United Kingdom prices of 26.3p per kWh (source: Ofgem price cap 1 Oct–31 Dec 2026, Oct 2026), that is £83.35 per month, or £1,000 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. United Kingdom statistics do not separate this household from family of four in a house or student house share, so they share the same official figure.

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	£149.90	15%
Cooking	331 kWh	£87.24	9%
Washing, drying & dishwashing	327 kWh	£86.01	9%
TV, computing & network	341 kWh	£89.69	9%
Lighting	196 kWh	£51.61	5%
Other appliances	2,035 kWh	£535.71	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

Refrigeration & freezing 15%
Cooking 9%
Washing, drying & dishwashing 9%
TV, computing & network 9%
Lighting 5%
Other appliances 54%

Illustrative shape of a typical day: each band's area equals that end use's share of 10.4 kWh a day, peaking around 18:00. The timing is a standard household pattern, not a measurement, and it changes with season and habits.

What drives this household's bill

The largest share here is other appliances at 54% (£535.71 a year), followed by refrigeration & freezing at 15%.
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 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.

Appliance	End use	Typical	Hours/day	Per year	Cost
Refrigerator ×2	Refrigeration & freezing	150 W	3.9 h	427 kWh	£112.43
Hair Dryer ×3	Other appliances	1,800 W	9 min	296 kWh	£77.82
Clothes Dryer	Washing, drying & dishwashing	3,000 W	11 min	197 kWh	£51.95
Chest Freezer	Refrigeration & freezing	100 W	3.9 h	142 kWh	£37.48
Induction Cooktop ×2	Cooking	1,800 W	6 min	127 kWh	£33.41
LED Light Bulb ×22	Lighting	9 W	1.7 h	122 kWh	£32.13
Electric Oven	Cooking	2,500 W	8 min	115 kWh	£30.16
Vacuum Cleaner	Other appliances	1,000 W	15 min	91 kWh	£24.02
Dishwasher	Washing, drying & dishwashing	1,500 W	9 min	86 kWh	£22.51
Outdoor Security Floodlight ×2	Lighting	30 W	3.4 h	74 kWh	£19.47
Television ×3	TV, computing & network	100 W	40 min	73 kWh	£19.25
Desktop Computer	TV, computing & network	150 W	1.3 h	73 kWh	£19.25
Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) ×2	TV, computing & network	180 W	30 min	66 kWh	£17.33
Laptop ×3	TV, computing & network	45 W	1.3 h	66 kWh	£17.33
Washing Machine ×2	Washing, drying & dishwashing	500 W	7 min	44 kWh	£11.54
Computer Monitor ×2	TV, computing & network	30 W	1.3 h	29 kWh	£7.70
Air Fryer	Cooking	1,500 W	3 min	26 kWh	£6.96
Electric Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery)	Other appliances	1,200 W	6 min	22 kWh	£5.69
Electric Kettle ×2	Cooking	2,000 W	1 min	21 kWh	£5.57
Microwave ×2	Cooking	1,000 W	1 min	18 kWh	£4.64
Coffee Maker (Drip)	Cooking	1,000 W	3 min	18 kWh	£4.64
Wi-Fi Router	TV, computing & network	10 W	4.0 h	15 kWh	£3.85
Smart Speaker ×2	TV, computing & network	3 W	4.0 h	9 kWh	£2.31
Phone Charger ×6	TV, computing & network	10 W	20 min	7 kWh	£1.93
Toaster ×2	Cooking	1,000 W	1 min	7 kWh	£1.86
Hair Straightener	Other appliances	60 W	15 min	5 kWh	£1.44
Garage Door Opener	Other appliances	500 W	1 min	4 kWh	£0.96
Streaming Stick or Box ×2	TV, computing & network	4 W	40 min	2 kWh	£0.51
Printer (Inkjet or Laser)	TV, computing & network	30 W	5 min	1 kWh	£0.24
Small appliances, standby and items not listed	Other appliances	–	–	1,618 kWh	£425.79

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The same household in other countries

Country	Official benchmark	Per year	Per month
United States (average)	14,336 kWh	$2,629	$219.10
United Kingdom	3,800 kWh	£1,000	£83.35
Germany	4,500 kWh	€1,665	€138.75
France	7,145 kWh	€1,430	€119.14
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.

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