Electricity Bill for a Student house share in Michigan (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 14,336 kWh of electricity a year. At Michigan prices of 23.0¢ per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, Jun 2026), that is $274.65 per month, or $3,296 per year.

Benchmark: EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020, Table CE2.1, average kWh per household using electricity: 5-person household. Data as of 2020. It covers all electricity use including electric heating, air conditioning and water heating where present. The consumption benchmark is national (United States); Michigan differs from it mainly through climate and price, and the price is what changes the figure below. United States statistics do not separate this household from family of five or more in a house, so they share the same official figure.

Where the electricity goes

Heating & cooling 40%
Other appliances 18%
Water heating 12%
Refrigeration & freezing 10%
Lighting 6%
TV, computing & network 6%
Washing, drying & dishwashing 6%
Cooking 3%

End use	Per year	Cost	Share
Heating & cooling	5,720 kWh	$1,315	40%
Water heating	1,720 kWh	$395.50	12%
Refrigeration & freezing	1,391 kWh	$319.70	10%
Cooking	401 kWh	$92.28	3%
Washing, drying & dishwashing	803 kWh	$184.57	6%
TV, computing & network	831 kWh	$191.16	6%
Lighting	889 kWh	$204.34	6%
Other appliances	2,580 kWh	$593.25	18%

End-use shares: EIA RECS 2020, Tables CE5.1a and CE5.1b (electricity by detailed end use). Heating & cooling includes air handlers, fans and dehumidifiers; electronics is TVs and related; computers fall in 'other'. These shares are official.

Through the day

Heating & cooling 40%
Water heating 12%
Refrigeration & freezing 10%
Cooking 3%
Washing, drying & dishwashing 6%
TV, computing & network 6%
Lighting 6%
Other appliances 18%

Illustrative shape of a typical day: each band's area equals that end use's share of 39.3 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

The largest share here is heating & cooling at 40% ($1,315 a year), followed by other appliances at 18%.
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	9.8 h	856 kWh	$196.74
Washing Machine	Washing, drying & dishwashing	500 W	3.0 h	548 kWh	$125.87
Refrigerator	Refrigeration & freezing	150 W	9.8 h	535 kWh	$122.96
Laptop ×5	TV, computing & network	45 W	3.9 h	321 kWh	$73.84
LED Light Bulb ×12	Lighting	9 W	8.0 h	315 kWh	$72.50
Hair Dryer ×3	Other appliances	1,800 W	9 min	296 kWh	$67.97
Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) ×2	TV, computing & network	180 W	1.5 h	193 kWh	$44.30
Induction Cooktop ×2	Cooking	1,800 W	9 min	193 kWh	$44.30
Television ×2	TV, computing & network	100 W	2.0 h	143 kWh	$32.82
Electric Oven	Cooking	2,500 W	6 min	94 kWh	$21.53
Computer Monitor ×2	TV, computing & network	30 W	3.9 h	86 kWh	$19.69
Electric Kettle ×4	Cooking	2,000 W	1 min	64 kWh	$14.77
Vacuum Cleaner	Other appliances	1,000 W	8 min	46 kWh	$10.49
Wi-Fi Router	TV, computing & network	10 W	11.7 h	43 kWh	$9.85
Microwave ×3	Cooking	1,000 W	2 min	40 kWh	$9.23
Smart Speaker ×2	TV, computing & network	3 W	11.7 h	26 kWh	$5.91
Phone Charger ×5	TV, computing & network	10 W	59 min	18 kWh	$4.10
Toaster ×2	Cooking	1,000 W	1 min	11 kWh	$2.46
Streaming Stick or Box	TV, computing & network	4 W	2.0 h	3 kWh	$0.66
Small appliances, standby and items not listed	Other appliances	–	–	2,239 kWh	$514.79
Additional lights and fittings	Lighting	–	–	573 kWh	$131.84
Extra loads or older machines not listed	Washing, drying & dishwashing	–	–	255 kWh	$58.70

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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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