Electricity Bill for a Student house share in Germany (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 3,100 kWh of electricity a year. At Germany prices of €0.370 per kWh (source: BDEW Strompreisanalyse August 2026, Aug 2026), that is €95.58 per month, or €1,147 per year.
Benchmark: Stromspiegel für Deutschland (co2online, with the Federal Ministry for the Environment), average consumption by persons and building type: 5 persons, flat. Data as of 2024. It covers appliances and lighting; 'with hot water' variants add electric water heating; electric space heating is excluded.
Where the electricity goes
- TV, computing & network 29%
- Other appliances 26%
- Washing, drying & dishwashing 13%
- Lighting 12%
- Refrigeration & freezing 10%
- Cooking 10%
| End use | Per year | Cost | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigeration & freezing | 310 kWh | €114.70 | 10% |
| Cooking | 310 kWh | €114.70 | 10% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 403 kWh | €149.11 | 13% |
| TV, computing & network | 899 kWh | €332.63 | 29% |
| Lighting | 372 kWh | €137.64 | 12% |
| Other appliances | 806 kWh | €298.22 | 26% |
End-use shares: BDEW / Stromspiegel 2025: information & communication technology 29%, washing & drying 13%, lighting 12%, refrigeration 10%, cooking about 10%, remainder other. Electric hot water, where present, is the difference between the with- and without-hot-water Stromspiegel values. These shares are official. This benchmark excludes heating & cooling and water heating, which are on gas or counted separately in this country's statistics.
Through the day
- Refrigeration & freezing 10%
- Cooking 10%
- Washing, drying & dishwashing 13%
- TV, computing & network 29%
- Lighting 12%
- Other appliances 26%
What drives this household's bill
- The largest share here is tv, computing & network at 29% (€332.63 a year), followed by other appliances at 26%.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washing Machine | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 2.2 h | 403 kWh | €149.11 |
| Laptop ×5 | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 4.2 h | 347 kWh | €128.48 |
| LED Light Bulb ×12 | Lighting | 9 W | 8.0 h | 315 kWh | €116.68 |
| Hair Dryer ×3 | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 296 kWh | €109.39 |
| Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) ×2 | TV, computing & network | 180 W | 1.6 h | 208 kWh | €77.09 |
| Mini Fridge ×3 | Refrigeration & freezing | 80 W | 2.2 h | 191 kWh | €70.58 |
| Television ×2 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 2.1 h | 154 kWh | €57.10 |
| Induction Cooktop ×2 | Cooking | 1,800 W | 7 min | 149 kWh | €55.06 |
| Refrigerator | Refrigeration & freezing | 150 W | 2.2 h | 119 kWh | €44.12 |
| Computer Monitor ×2 | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 4.2 h | 93 kWh | €34.26 |
| Electric Oven | Cooking | 2,500 W | 5 min | 72 kWh | €26.76 |
| Electric Kettle ×4 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 50 kWh | €18.35 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 12.7 h | 46 kWh | €17.13 |
| Vacuum Cleaner | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 8 min | 46 kWh | €16.88 |
| Microwave ×3 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 2 min | 31 kWh | €11.47 |
| Smart Speaker ×2 | TV, computing & network | 3 W | 12.7 h | 28 kWh | €10.28 |
| Phone Charger ×5 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 1.1 h | 19 kWh | €7.14 |
| Toaster ×2 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 8 kWh | €3.06 |
| Streaming Stick or Box | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 2.1 h | 3 kWh | €1.14 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 465 kWh | €171.95 |
| Additional lights and fittings | Lighting | – | – | 57 kWh | €20.96 |
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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.
Compare this household
Other households in Germany
- Single person in an apartment1,200 kWh/yr
- Couple in an apartment1,900 kWh/yr
- Couple in a house2,700 kWh/yr
- Family of four in a house3,800 kWh/yr
- Family of five or more in a house4,500 kWh/yr
- All-electric family house4,700 kWh/yr
- Retired couple at home all day2,700 kWh/yr
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