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Electricity Bill for a Retired couple at home all day in the UK (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 2,500 kWh of electricity a year. At United Kingdom prices of £0.26 per kWh (source: Ofgem price cap 1 Jul–30 Sep 2026, 2026-07), that is £54.17 per month, or £650.00 per year.
Benchmark: Ofgem Typical Domestic Consumption Values, decision May 2026, effective 1 July 2026: Medium 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.
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 | 375 kWh | £97.42 | 15% |
| Cooking | 218 kWh | £56.70 | 9% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 215 kWh | £55.90 | 9% |
| TV, computing & network | 224 kWh | £58.29 | 9% |
| Lighting | 129 kWh | £33.54 | 5% |
| Other appliances | 1,339 kWh | £348.16 | 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.
What drives this household's bill
- 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric Blanket ×2 | Other appliances | 100 W | 8.0 h | 584 kWh | £151.84 |
| Refrigerator | Refrigeration & freezing | 150 W | 5.1 h | 281 kWh | £73.07 |
| Television ×2.5 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 1.5 h | 137 kWh | £35.54 |
| Clothes Dryer ×0.5 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 3,000 W | 12 min | 111 kWh | £28.91 |
| Chest Freezer ×0.5 | Refrigeration & freezing | 100 W | 5.1 h | 94 kWh | £24.36 |
| Vacuum Cleaner | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 15 min | 91 kWh | £23.73 |
| LED Light Bulb ×14 | Lighting | 9 W | 1.9 h | 87 kWh | £22.72 |
| Dishwasher ×0.7 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 1,500 W | 12 min | 78 kWh | £20.24 |
| Induction Cooktop ×1.5 | Cooking | 1,800 W | 4 min | 69 kWh | £17.90 |
| Electric Oven | Cooking | 2,500 W | 4 min | 64 kWh | £16.58 |
| Laptop | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 3.0 h | 49 kWh | £12.80 |
| Electric Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery) | Other appliances | 1,200 W | 6 min | 44 kWh | £11.39 |
| Outdoor Security Floodlight | Lighting | 30 W | 3.8 h | 42 kWh | £10.82 |
| Slow Cooker | Cooking | 200 W | 34 min | 41 kWh | £10.61 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 9.0 h | 33 kWh | £8.53 |
| Washing Machine ×0.7 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 12 min | 26 kWh | £6.75 |
| Electric Kettle ×3 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 23 kWh | £5.97 |
| Coffee Maker (Drip) | Cooking | 1,000 W | 2 min | 13 kWh | £3.32 |
| Microwave | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 6 kWh | £1.66 |
| Phone Charger ×2 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 45 min | 5 kWh | £1.42 |
| Garage Door Opener | Other appliances | 500 W | 1 min | 4 kWh | £0.95 |
| Toaster | Cooking | 1,000 W | 0 min | 3 kWh | £0.66 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 616 kWh | £160.26 |
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The same household in other countries
| Country | Official benchmark | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (average) | 10,648 kWh | $1,917 | $159.72 |
| United Kingdom | 2,500 kWh | £650.00 | £54.17 |
| Germany | 2,700 kWh | €999.00 | €83.25 |
| France | 4,287 kWh | €857.40 | €71.45 |
| 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.