Home › Households › Student house share › Australia
Electricity Bill for a Student house share in Australia (2026)
Five adults sharing, each with a laptop, a phone and often a mini fridge, cooking separately at different times. No dishwasher, no dryer, a lot of kettle.
A student house share uses about 9,008 kWh of electricity a year. At Australia prices of A$0.35 per kWh (source: AER Default Market Offer 2026–27, 2026-07), that is A$262.73 per month, or A$3,153 per year.
Benchmark: Australian Energy Regulator, Residential energy consumption benchmarks (Frontier Economics, December 2020), temperate climate zone (Sydney), households without a swimming pool: 5+ 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.
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 | 3,603 kWh | A$1,261 | 40% |
| Water heating | 1,892 kWh | A$662.09 | 21% |
| Refrigeration & freezing | 874 kWh | A$305.82 | 10% |
| Cooking | 252 kWh | A$88.28 | 3% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 504 kWh | A$176.56 | 6% |
| TV, computing & network | 522 kWh | A$182.86 | 6% |
| Lighting | 540 kWh | A$189.17 | 6% |
| Other appliances | 820 kWh | A$286.90 | 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
What drives this household's bill
- Five separate cooking sessions a day cost more than one family meal.
- Mini fridges in bedrooms can double refrigeration costs.
- Heating is usually gas or shared, so appliances are most of the electricity bill.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini Fridge ×3 | Refrigeration & freezing | 80 W | 6.1 h | 538 kWh | A$188.20 |
| Washing Machine ×1.5 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 1.8 h | 504 kWh | A$176.56 |
| LED Light Bulb ×12 | Lighting | 9 W | 10.0 h | 394 kWh | A$137.97 |
| Refrigerator | Refrigeration & freezing | 150 W | 6.1 h | 336 kWh | A$117.62 |
| Hair Dryer ×3 | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 296 kWh | A$103.48 |
| Laptop ×5 | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 2.5 h | 202 kWh | A$70.63 |
| Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) ×2 | TV, computing & network | 180 W | 55 min | 121 kWh | A$42.38 |
| Induction Cooktop ×2 | Cooking | 1,800 W | 6 min | 121 kWh | A$42.37 |
| Television ×2 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 1.2 h | 90 kWh | A$31.39 |
| Electric Oven ×0.7 | Cooking | 2,500 W | 6 min | 59 kWh | A$20.60 |
| Computer Monitor ×2 | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 2.5 h | 54 kWh | A$18.84 |
| Vacuum Cleaner ×0.5 | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 15 min | 46 kWh | A$15.97 |
| Electric Kettle ×4 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 40 kWh | A$14.12 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 7.4 h | 27 kWh | A$9.42 |
| Microwave ×3 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 25 kWh | A$8.83 |
| Smart Speaker ×2 | TV, computing & network | 3 W | 7.4 h | 16 kWh | A$5.65 |
| Phone Charger ×5 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 37 min | 11 kWh | A$3.92 |
| Toaster ×2 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 7 kWh | A$2.35 |
| Streaming Stick or Box | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 1.2 h | 2 kWh | A$0.63 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 478 kWh | A$167.46 |
| Additional lights and fittings | Lighting | – | – | 146 kWh | A$51.20 |
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) | 14,336 kWh | $2,580 | $215.04 |
| United Kingdom | 3,800 kWh | £988.00 | £82.33 |
| Germany | 3,100 kWh | €1,147 | €95.58 |
| France | 4,922 kWh | €984.40 | €82.03 |
| Australia | 9,008 kWh | A$3,153 | A$262.73 |
| Canada (average) | 7,417 kWh | C$1,038 | C$86.53 |
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.