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: 899 kWh, 29%, €332.63 per year. Laptop ×5, Gaming Console ×2, Television ×2TV, computing & network29% · 899 kWhLaptop ×5, Gaming Console ×2, Television ×2Other appliances: 806 kWh, 26%, €298.22 per year. Hair Dryer ×3, Vacuum CleanerOther appliances26% · 806 kWhHair Dryer ×3, Vacuum CleanerWashing, drying & dishwashing: 403 kWh, 13%, €149.11 per year. Washing Machine13%Lighting: 372 kWh, 12%, €137.64 per year. LED Light Bulb ×12Lighting12% · 372 kWhLED Light Bulb ×12Refrigeration & freezing: 310 kWh, 10%, €114.70 per year. Mini Fridge ×3, RefrigeratorRefrigeration & freezing10% · 310 kWhMini Fridge ×3, RefrigeratorCooking: 310 kWh, 10%, €114.70 per year. Induction Cooktop ×2, Electric Oven, Electric Kettle ×4Cooking10% · 310 kWhInduction Cooktop ×2, Electric Oven, Electric Kettle ×4
End usePer yearCostShare
Refrigeration & freezing310 kWh€114.7010%
Cooking310 kWh€114.7010%
Washing, drying & dishwashing403 kWh€149.1113%
TV, computing & network899 kWh€332.6329%
Lighting372 kWh€137.6412%
Other appliances806 kWh€298.2226%

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

kW0.40.7Refrigeration & freezing: 0.8 kWh a day, peak around 0:00Cooking: 0.8 kWh a day, peak around 18:00Washing, drying & dishwashing: 1.1 kWh a day, peak around 19:00TV, computing & network: 2.5 kWh a day, peak around 19:00Lighting: 1.0 kWh a day, peak around 18:00Other appliances: 2.2 kWh a day, peak around 18:000003060912151821
Illustrative shape of a typical day: each band's area equals that end use's share of 8.5 kWh a day, peaking around 18:00. The timing is a standard household pattern, not a measurement, and it changes with season and habits.

What drives this household's 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.

ApplianceEnd useTypicalHours/dayPer yearCost
Washing MachineWashing, drying & dishwashing500 W2.2 h403 kWh€149.11
Laptop ×5TV, computing & network45 W4.2 h347 kWh€128.48
LED Light Bulb ×12Lighting9 W8.0 h315 kWh€116.68
Hair Dryer ×3Other appliances1,800 W9 min296 kWh€109.39
Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) ×2TV, computing & network180 W1.6 h208 kWh€77.09
Mini Fridge ×3Refrigeration & freezing80 W2.2 h191 kWh€70.58
Television ×2TV, computing & network100 W2.1 h154 kWh€57.10
Induction Cooktop ×2Cooking1,800 W7 min149 kWh€55.06
RefrigeratorRefrigeration & freezing150 W2.2 h119 kWh€44.12
Computer Monitor ×2TV, computing & network30 W4.2 h93 kWh€34.26
Electric OvenCooking2,500 W5 min72 kWh€26.76
Electric Kettle ×4Cooking2,000 W1 min50 kWh€18.35
Wi-Fi RouterTV, computing & network10 W12.7 h46 kWh€17.13
Vacuum CleanerOther appliances1,000 W8 min46 kWh€16.88
Microwave ×3Cooking1,000 W2 min31 kWh€11.47
Smart Speaker ×2TV, computing & network3 W12.7 h28 kWh€10.28
Phone Charger ×5TV, computing & network10 W1.1 h19 kWh€7.14
Toaster ×2Cooking1,000 W1 min8 kWh€3.06
Streaming Stick or BoxTV, computing & network4 W2.1 h3 kWh€1.14
Small appliances, standby and items not listedOther appliances––465 kWh€171.95
Additional lights and fittingsLighting––57 kWh€20.96

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The same household in other countries

CountryOfficial benchmarkPer yearPer month
United States (average)14,336 kWh$2,629$219.10
United Kingdom3,800 kWh£1,000£83.35
Germany3,100 kWh€1,147€95.58
France4,922 kWh€984.89€82.07
Australia9,008 kWhA$3,153A$262.73
Canada (average)7,417 kWhC$1,038C$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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