Electricity Bill for a Single person in an apartment in Australia (2026)
One adult in a one or two room flat. The fridge runs all year, cooking is quick, and a laptop and TV cover the evenings. Nothing runs long enough to dominate.
A single person in an apartment uses about 3,109 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$90.68 per month, or A$1,088 per year.
Benchmark: Australian Energy Regulator, Residential energy consumption benchmarks (Frontier Economics, December 2020), temperate climate zone (Sydney), households without a swimming pool: 1 person. 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.
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 | 1,244 kWh | A$435.26 | 40% |
| Water heating | 653 kWh | A$228.51 | 21% |
| Refrigeration & freezing | 302 kWh | A$105.55 | 10% |
| Cooking | 87 kWh | A$30.47 | 3% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 174 kWh | A$60.94 | 6% |
| TV, computing & network | 180 kWh | A$63.11 | 6% |
| Lighting | 187 kWh | A$65.29 | 6% |
| Other appliances | 283 kWh | A$99.02 | 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%
What drives this household's bill
- The largest share here is heating & cooling at 40% (A$435.26 a year), followed by water heating at 21%.
- The fridge is usually the single largest item because it never switches off.
- Cooking with the oven instead of the microwave or air fryer is the easiest cost to cut.
- Standby draw across router, TV, console and chargers can reach a fifth of the total.
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 | 5.5 h | 302 kWh | A$105.55 |
| Washing Machine | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 48 min | 146 kWh | A$51.10 |
| LED Light Bulb ×5 | Lighting | 9 W | 8.0 h | 131 kWh | A$45.99 |
| Hair Dryer | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 99 kWh | A$34.49 |
| Television | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 1.9 h | 70 kWh | A$24.37 |
| Laptop | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 3.8 h | 63 kWh | A$21.93 |
| Induction Cooktop | Cooking | 1,800 W | 5 min | 51 kWh | A$17.69 |
| Vacuum Cleaner | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 8 min | 46 kWh | A$15.97 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 11.4 h | 42 kWh | A$14.62 |
| Electric Kettle | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 17 kWh | A$5.90 |
| Microwave | Cooking | 1,000 W | 2 min | 14 kWh | A$4.91 |
| Toaster | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 6 kWh | A$1.97 |
| Phone Charger | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 57 min | 3 kWh | A$1.22 |
| Streaming Stick or Box | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 1.9 h | 3 kWh | A$0.97 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 139 kWh | A$48.56 |
| Additional lights and fittings | Lighting | – | – | 55 kWh | A$19.30 |
| Extra loads or older machines not listed | Washing, drying & dishwashing | – | – | 28 kWh | A$9.84 |
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) | 7,184 kWh | $1,318 | $109.80 |
| United Kingdom | 1,600 kWh | £421.12 | £35.09 |
| Germany | 1,200 kWh | €444.00 | €37.00 |
| France | 1,905 kWh | €381.19 | €31.77 |
| Australia | 3,109 kWh | A$1,088 | A$90.68 |
| Canada (average) | 6,583 kWh | C$921.62 | C$76.80 |
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.
Compare this household
- Single person in an apartment vs Family of four in a house
- Single person in an apartment vs Couple in an apartment
Other households in Australia
- Couple in an apartment5,237 kWh/yr
- Couple in a house5,237 kWh/yr
- Family of four in a house7,311 kWh/yr
- Family of five or more in a house9,008 kWh/yr
- Student house share9,008 kWh/yr
- All-electric family house7,311 kWh/yr
- Retired couple at home all day5,237 kWh/yr
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