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Electricity Bill for a Student house share in the UK (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 3,800 kWh of electricity a year. At United Kingdom prices of £0.26 per kWh (source: Ofgem price cap 1 Jul–30 Sep 2026, 2026-07), that is £82.33 per month, or £988.00 per year.
Benchmark: Ofgem Typical Domestic Consumption Values, decision May 2026, effective 1 July 2026: High user (single-rate). Data as of 2026-07. It covers Profile Class 1 is standard single-rate homes, mostly gas heated. Profile Class 2 is multi-rate (Economy 7) homes, typically electrically heated.
Where the electricity goes
- Other appliances 54%
- Refrigeration & freezing 15%
- TV, computing & network 9%
- Cooking 9%
- Washing, drying & dishwashing 9%
- Lighting 5%
| End use | Per year | Cost | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigeration & freezing | 570 kWh | £148.08 | 15% |
| Cooking | 331 kWh | £86.18 | 9% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 327 kWh | £84.96 | 9% |
| TV, computing & network | 341 kWh | £88.60 | 9% |
| Lighting | 196 kWh | £50.98 | 5% |
| Other appliances | 2,035 kWh | £529.20 | 54% |
End-use shares: DESNZ Energy Consumption in the UK 2025, Table U3, domestic electricity 2024: space heating 14.5%, water heating 4.1%, cooking 7.1%, lighting 4.2%, appliances 70.1%. The split of 'appliances' into cold, wet, electronics and other is not published and is derived from US RECS proportions. Some of these shares are derived rather than published; see the note. This benchmark excludes heating & cooling and water heating, which are on gas or counted separately in this country's statistics.
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 | 4.0 h | 350 kWh | £91.13 |
| Washing Machine ×1.5 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 1.2 h | 327 kWh | £84.96 |
| Hair Dryer ×3 | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 296 kWh | £76.87 |
| Refrigerator | Refrigeration & freezing | 150 W | 4.0 h | 219 kWh | £56.95 |
| LED Light Bulb ×12 | Lighting | 9 W | 5.0 h | 196 kWh | £50.98 |
| Induction Cooktop ×2 | Cooking | 1,800 W | 7 min | 159 kWh | £41.36 |
| Laptop ×5 | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 1.6 h | 132 kWh | £34.22 |
| Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) ×2 | TV, computing & network | 180 W | 36 min | 79 kWh | £20.53 |
| Electric Oven ×0.7 | Cooking | 2,500 W | 7 min | 77 kWh | £20.11 |
| Television ×2 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 48 min | 59 kWh | £15.21 |
| Electric Kettle ×4 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 53 kWh | £13.79 |
| Vacuum Cleaner ×0.5 | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 15 min | 46 kWh | £11.86 |
| Computer Monitor ×2 | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 1.6 h | 35 kWh | £9.13 |
| Microwave ×3 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 2 min | 33 kWh | £8.62 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 4.8 h | 18 kWh | £4.56 |
| Smart Speaker ×2 | TV, computing & network | 3 W | 4.8 h | 11 kWh | £2.74 |
| Toaster ×2 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 9 kWh | £2.30 |
| Phone Charger ×5 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 24 min | 7 kWh | £1.90 |
| Streaming Stick or Box | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 48 min | 1 kWh | £0.30 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 1,694 kWh | £440.47 |
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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.