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Electricity Bill for a Student house share in Ontario (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 Ontario prices of C$0.15 per kWh (source: Hydro-Québec 2025 comparison, 2025-04), that is C$92.71 per month, or C$1,113 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); Ontario differs from it mainly through climate and price, and the price is what changes the figure below.
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$389.39 | 35% |
| Water heating | 1,113 kWh | C$166.88 | 15% |
| Refrigeration & freezing | 742 kWh | C$111.26 | 10% |
| Cooking | 223 kWh | C$33.38 | 3% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 445 kWh | C$66.75 | 6% |
| TV, computing & network | 445 kWh | C$66.75 | 6% |
| Lighting | 445 kWh | C$66.75 | 6% |
| Other appliances | 1,409 kWh | C$211.38 | 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.
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 | 5.2 h | 456 kWh | C$68.46 |
| Washing Machine ×1.5 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 1.6 h | 445 kWh | C$66.75 |
| LED Light Bulb ×12 | Lighting | 9 W | 10.0 h | 394 kWh | C$59.13 |
| Hair Dryer ×3 | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 296 kWh | C$44.35 |
| Refrigerator | Refrigeration & freezing | 150 W | 5.2 h | 285 kWh | C$42.79 |
| Laptop ×5 | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 2.1 h | 172 kWh | C$25.78 |
| Induction Cooktop ×2 | Cooking | 1,800 W | 5 min | 107 kWh | C$16.02 |
| Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) ×2 | TV, computing & network | 180 W | 47 min | 103 kWh | C$15.47 |
| Television ×2 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 1.0 h | 76 kWh | C$11.46 |
| Electric Oven ×0.7 | Cooking | 2,500 W | 5 min | 52 kWh | C$7.79 |
| Computer Monitor ×2 | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 2.1 h | 46 kWh | C$6.88 |
| Vacuum Cleaner ×0.5 | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 15 min | 46 kWh | C$6.84 |
| Electric Kettle ×4 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 36 kWh | C$5.34 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 6.3 h | 23 kWh | C$3.44 |
| Microwave ×3 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 22 kWh | C$3.34 |
| Smart Speaker ×2 | TV, computing & network | 3 W | 6.3 h | 14 kWh | C$2.06 |
| Phone Charger ×5 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 31 min | 10 kWh | C$1.43 |
| Toaster ×2 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 0 min | 6 kWh | C$0.89 |
| Streaming Stick or Box | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 1.0 h | 2 kWh | C$0.23 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 1,068 kWh | C$160.19 |
| Additional lights and fittings | Lighting | – | – | 51 kWh | C$7.62 |
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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.