Electricity Bill for a Retired couple at home all day in Australia (2026)

Two people at home most of the day. The TV, kettle and lights run for many more hours than in a working household, and the house is kept warmer.

A retired couple at home all day uses about 5,237 kWh of electricity a year. At Australia prices of 35.0¢ per kWh (source: AER Default Market Offer 2026–27, Jul 2026), that is A$152.75 per month, or A$1,833 per year.

Benchmark: Australian Energy Regulator, Residential energy consumption benchmarks (Frontier Economics, December 2020), temperate climate zone (Sydney), households without a swimming pool: 2 people. Data as of 2020-12. It covers all electricity use including cooling and any electric heating; cool-climate zones (Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart) run 10 to 60% higher. Australia statistics do not separate this household from couple in an apartment or couple in a house, so they share the same official figure.

Where the electricity goes

Heating & cooling 40%
Water heating 21%
Refrigeration & freezing 10%
Other appliances 9%
Lighting 6%
TV, computing & network 6%
Washing, drying & dishwashing 6%
Cooking 3%

End use	Per year	Cost	Share
Heating & cooling	2,095 kWh	A$733.18	40%
Water heating	1,100 kWh	A$384.92	21%
Refrigeration & freezing	508 kWh	A$177.80	10%
Cooking	147 kWh	A$51.32	3%
Washing, drying & dishwashing	293 kWh	A$102.65	6%
TV, computing & network	304 kWh	A$106.31	6%
Lighting	314 kWh	A$109.98	6%
Other appliances	477 kWh	A$166.80	9%

End-use shares: Australian Government YourHome: heating and cooling about 40% and water heating 15 to 27% of household energy, lighting 5 to 10%. Appliance sub-split derived from US RECS proportions. These are energy shares, not electricity shares, and are approximate. Some of these shares are derived rather than published; see the note.

Through the day

Heating & cooling 40%
Water heating 21%
Refrigeration & freezing 10%
Cooking 3%
Washing, drying & dishwashing 6%
TV, computing & network 6%
Lighting 6%
Other appliances 9%

Illustrative shape of a typical day: each band's area equals that end use's share of 14.3 kWh a day, peaking around 19:00. 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% (A$733.18 a year), followed by water heating at 21%.
Hours, not devices, drive this profile: a TV on for eight hours costs as much as a family's console habit.
Daytime heating in winter is the largest cost if it is electric.
An electric blanket and a heated throw are far cheaper than heating the room in the evening.

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	Refrigeration & freezing	150 W	7.0 h	381 kWh	A$133.35
Electric Blanket ×2	Other appliances	100 W	8.0 h	240 kWh	A$84.00
LED Light Bulb ×14	Lighting	9 W	4.6 h	213 kWh	A$74.50
Television	TV, computing & network	100 W	5.1 h	185 kWh	A$64.82
Clothes Dryer	Washing, drying & dishwashing	3,000 W	8 min	152 kWh	A$53.09
Chest Freezer	Refrigeration & freezing	100 W	3.5 h	127 kWh	A$44.45
Dishwasher	Washing, drying & dishwashing	1,500 W	12 min	106 kWh	A$37.16
Outdoor Security Floodlight	Lighting	30 W	9.3 h	101 kWh	A$35.48
Vacuum Cleaner	Other appliances	1,000 W	15 min	91 kWh	A$31.94
Laptop	TV, computing & network	45 W	4.1 h	67 kWh	A$23.34
Induction Cooktop	Cooking	1,800 W	4 min	46 kWh	A$16.21
Wi-Fi Router	TV, computing & network	10 W	12.2 h	44 kWh	A$15.56
Electric Oven	Cooking	2,500 W	3 min	43 kWh	A$15.01
Washing Machine	Washing, drying & dishwashing	500 W	12 min	35 kWh	A$12.39
Slow Cooker	Cooking	200 W	23 min	27 kWh	A$9.60
Electric Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery)	Other appliances	1,200 W	6 min	22 kWh	A$7.56
Electric Kettle ×3	Cooking	2,000 W	0 min	15 kWh	A$5.40
Coffee Maker (Drip)	Cooking	1,000 W	1 min	9 kWh	A$3.00
Phone Charger ×2	TV, computing & network	10 W	1.0 h	7 kWh	A$2.59
Microwave	Cooking	1,000 W	1 min	4 kWh	A$1.50
Garage Door Opener	Other appliances	500 W	1 min	4 kWh	A$1.28
Toaster	Cooking	1,000 W	0 min	2 kWh	A$0.60
Small appliances, standby and items not listed	Other appliances	–	–	120 kWh	A$42.02

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)	10,648 kWh	$1,953	$162.74
United Kingdom	2,500 kWh	£658.00	£54.83
Germany	2,700 kWh	€999.00	€83.25
France	4,287 kWh	€857.83	€71.49
Australia	5,237 kWh	A$1,833	A$152.75
Canada (average)	10,750 kWh	C$1,505	C$125.42

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.

Other households in Australia

This household in your region

US states

Canadian provinces