Electricity Bill for a Family of five or more in a house in District of Columbia (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 14,336 kWh of electricity a year. At District of Columbia prices of 24.4¢ per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, Jun 2026), that is $291.38 per month, or $3,497 per year.

Benchmark: EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020, Table CE2.1, average kWh per household using electricity: 5-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); District of Columbia differs from it mainly through climate and price, and the price is what changes the figure below. United States statistics do not separate this household from student house share, so they share the same official figure.

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	5,720 kWh	$1,395	40%
Water heating	1,720 kWh	$419.59	12%
Refrigeration & freezing	1,391 kWh	$339.17	10%
Cooking	401 kWh	$97.90	3%
Washing, drying & dishwashing	803 kWh	$195.81	6%
TV, computing & network	831 kWh	$202.80	6%
Lighting	889 kWh	$216.79	6%
Other appliances	2,580 kWh	$629.38	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

Heating & cooling 40%
Water heating 12%
Refrigeration & freezing 10%
Cooking 3%
Washing, drying & dishwashing 6%
TV, computing & network 6%
Lighting 6%
Other appliances 18%

Illustrative shape of a typical day: each band's area equals that end use's share of 39.3 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 heating & cooling at 40% ($1,395 a year), followed by other appliances at 18%.
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	9.5 h	1,043 kWh	$254.37
LED Light Bulb ×22	Lighting	9 W	7.7 h	553 kWh	$134.98
Clothes Dryer	Washing, drying & dishwashing	3,000 W	27 min	485 kWh	$118.27
Chest Freezer	Refrigeration & freezing	100 W	9.5 h	348 kWh	$84.79
Hair Dryer ×3	Other appliances	1,800 W	9 min	296 kWh	$72.11
Outdoor Security Floodlight ×2	Lighting	30 W	12.0 h	263 kWh	$64.10
Dishwasher	Washing, drying & dishwashing	1,500 W	23 min	210 kWh	$51.25
Television ×3	TV, computing & network	100 W	1.6 h	178 kWh	$43.53
Desktop Computer	TV, computing & network	150 W	3.3 h	178 kWh	$43.53
Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) ×2	TV, computing & network	180 W	1.2 h	161 kWh	$39.17
Laptop ×3	TV, computing & network	45 W	3.3 h	161 kWh	$39.17
Induction Cooktop ×2	Cooking	1,800 W	7 min	154 kWh	$37.49
Electric Oven	Cooking	2,500 W	9 min	139 kWh	$33.85
Washing Machine ×2	Washing, drying & dishwashing	500 W	18 min	108 kWh	$26.28
Vacuum Cleaner	Other appliances	1,000 W	15 min	91 kWh	$22.26
Computer Monitor ×2	TV, computing & network	30 W	3.3 h	71 kWh	$17.41
Wi-Fi Router	TV, computing & network	10 W	9.8 h	36 kWh	$8.71
Air Fryer	Cooking	1,500 W	4 min	32 kWh	$7.81
Electric Kettle ×2	Cooking	2,000 W	1 min	26 kWh	$6.25
Electric Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery)	Other appliances	1,200 W	6 min	22 kWh	$5.27
Smart Speaker ×2	TV, computing & network	3 W	9.8 h	21 kWh	$5.22
Microwave ×2	Cooking	1,000 W	2 min	21 kWh	$5.21
Coffee Maker (Drip)	Cooking	1,000 W	4 min	21 kWh	$5.21
Phone Charger ×6	TV, computing & network	10 W	49 min	18 kWh	$4.35
Toaster ×2	Cooking	1,000 W	1 min	9 kWh	$2.08
Hair Straightener	Other appliances	60 W	15 min	5 kWh	$1.34
Streaming Stick or Box ×2	TV, computing & network	4 W	1.6 h	5 kWh	$1.16
Garage Door Opener	Other appliances	500 W	1 min	4 kWh	$0.89
Printer (Inkjet or Laser)	TV, computing & network	30 W	12 min	2 kWh	$0.54
Small appliances, standby and items not listed	Other appliances	–	–	2,163 kWh	$527.52
Additional lights and fittings	Lighting	–	–	73 kWh	$17.71

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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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