Electricity Bill for a Single person in an apartment in Iowa (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 7,184 kWh of electricity a year. At Iowa prices of 15.9¢ per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, Jun 2026), that is $95.37 per month, or $1,144 per year.
Benchmark: EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020, Table CE2.1, average kWh per household using electricity: 1-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); Iowa differs from it mainly through climate and price, and the price is what changes the figure below.
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 | 2,866 kWh | $456.62 | 40% |
| Water heating | 862 kWh | $137.33 | 12% |
| Refrigeration & freezing | 697 kWh | $111.01 | 10% |
| Cooking | 201 kWh | $32.04 | 3% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 402 kWh | $64.09 | 6% |
| TV, computing & network | 417 kWh | $66.38 | 6% |
| Lighting | 445 kWh | $70.95 | 6% |
| Other appliances | 1,293 kWh | $205.99 | 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%
What drives this household's bill
- The largest share here is heating & cooling at 40% ($456.62 a year), followed by other appliances at 18%.
- 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 | 12.7 h | 697 kWh | $111.01 |
| Television | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 4.4 h | 161 kWh | $25.63 |
| Washing Machine | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 48 min | 146 kWh | $23.26 |
| Laptop | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 8.8 h | 145 kWh | $23.06 |
| LED Light Bulb ×5 | Lighting | 9 W | 8.0 h | 131 kWh | $20.93 |
| Induction Cooktop | Cooking | 1,800 W | 11 min | 117 kWh | $18.61 |
| Hair Dryer | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 99 kWh | $15.70 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 24.0 h | 88 kWh | $13.95 |
| Vacuum Cleaner | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 8 min | 46 kWh | $7.27 |
| Electric Kettle | Cooking | 2,000 W | 3 min | 39 kWh | $6.20 |
| Microwave | Cooking | 1,000 W | 5 min | 32 kWh | $5.17 |
| Toaster | Cooking | 1,000 W | 2 min | 13 kWh | $2.07 |
| Phone Charger | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 2.2 h | 8 kWh | $1.28 |
| Streaming Stick or Box | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 4.4 h | 6 kWh | $1.03 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 1,149 kWh | $183.03 |
| Additional lights and fittings | Lighting | – | – | 314 kWh | $50.02 |
| Extra loads or older machines not listed | Washing, drying & dishwashing | – | – | 256 kWh | $40.83 |
| Other screens, chargers, standby | TV, computing & network | – | – | 9 kWh | $1.42 |
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 Iowa
- Couple in an apartment10,648 kWh/yr
- Couple in a house10,648 kWh/yr
- Family of four in a house13,072 kWh/yr
- Family of five or more in a house14,336 kWh/yr
- Student house share14,336 kWh/yr
- All-electric family house13,073 kWh/yr
- Retired couple at home all day10,648 kWh/yr
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