Electricity Bill for a Student house share in Alberta (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 7,417 kWh of electricity a year. At Alberta prices of 22.4¢ per kWh (source: Hydro-Québec 2025 comparison, Apr 2025), that is C$138.76 per month, or C$1,665 per year.

Benchmark: Natural Resources Canada, Survey of Household Energy Use 2019, Table 3.5a electricity intensity per household (GJ converted at 277.78 kWh/GJ): Low-rise apartment. Data as of 2019. It covers all electricity use; electric heating is common in Quebec, Manitoba and Atlantic Canada, which is why those averages are high. The consumption benchmark is national (Canada); Alberta differs from it mainly through climate and price, and the price is what changes the figure below. Canada statistics do not separate this household from couple in an apartment, so they share the same official figure.

Where the electricity goes

Heating & cooling 35%
Other appliances 19%
Water heating 15%
Refrigeration & freezing 10%
Washing, drying & dishwashing 6%
TV, computing & network 6%
Lighting 6%
Cooking 3%

End use	Per year	Cost	Share
Heating & cooling	2,596 kWh	C$582.79	35%
Water heating	1,113 kWh	C$249.77	15%
Refrigeration & freezing	742 kWh	C$166.51	10%
Cooking	223 kWh	C$49.95	3%
Washing, drying & dishwashing	445 kWh	C$99.91	6%
TV, computing & network	445 kWh	C$99.91	6%
Lighting	445 kWh	C$99.91	6%
Other appliances	1,409 kWh	C$316.37	19%

End-use shares: Derived. NRCan publishes residential end-use shares for all fuels (space heating 59%, water heating 19%, appliances 14%, lighting 4%, cooling 3%, 2023) but not for electricity alone; electricity shares here are an approximation that treats roughly half of Canadian homes as electrically heated. Some of these shares are derived rather than published; see the note.

Through the day

Heating & cooling 35%
Water heating 15%
Refrigeration & freezing 10%
Cooking 3%
Washing, drying & dishwashing 6%
TV, computing & network 6%
Lighting 6%
Other appliances 19%

Illustrative shape of a typical day: each band's area equals that end use's share of 20.3 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 35% (C$582.79 a year), followed by other appliances at 19%.
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 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
Mini Fridge ×3	Refrigeration & freezing	80 W	5.2 h	456 kWh	C$102.47
Washing Machine	Washing, drying & dishwashing	500 W	2.4 h	445 kWh	C$99.91
LED Light Bulb ×12	Lighting	9 W	8.0 h	315 kWh	C$70.80
Hair Dryer ×3	Other appliances	1,800 W	9 min	296 kWh	C$66.37
Refrigerator	Refrigeration & freezing	150 W	5.2 h	285 kWh	C$64.04
Laptop ×5	TV, computing & network	45 W	2.1 h	172 kWh	C$38.59
Induction Cooktop ×2	Cooking	1,800 W	5 min	107 kWh	C$23.98
Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) ×2	TV, computing & network	180 W	47 min	103 kWh	C$23.15
Television ×2	TV, computing & network	100 W	1.0 h	76 kWh	C$17.15
Electric Oven	Cooking	2,500 W	3 min	52 kWh	C$11.66
Computer Monitor ×2	TV, computing & network	30 W	2.1 h	46 kWh	C$10.29
Vacuum Cleaner	Other appliances	1,000 W	8 min	46 kWh	C$10.24
Electric Kettle ×4	Cooking	2,000 W	1 min	36 kWh	C$7.99
Wi-Fi Router	TV, computing & network	10 W	6.3 h	23 kWh	C$5.15
Microwave ×3	Cooking	1,000 W	1 min	22 kWh	C$5.00
Smart Speaker ×2	TV, computing & network	3 W	6.3 h	14 kWh	C$3.09
Phone Charger ×5	TV, computing & network	10 W	31 min	10 kWh	C$2.14
Toaster ×2	Cooking	1,000 W	0 min	6 kWh	C$1.33
Streaming Stick or Box	TV, computing & network	4 W	1.0 h	2 kWh	C$0.34
Small appliances, standby and items not listed	Other appliances	–	–	1,068 kWh	C$239.76
Additional lights and fittings	Lighting	–	–	130 kWh	C$29.11

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The same household in other countries

Country	Official benchmark	Per year	Per month
United States (average)	14,336 kWh	$2,629	$219.10
United Kingdom	3,800 kWh	£1,000	£83.35
Germany	3,100 kWh	€1,147	€95.58
France	4,922 kWh	€984.89	€82.07
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.

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