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Electricity Bill for a Student house share in Washington (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 Washington prices of $0.15 per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), that is $179.20 per month, or $2,150 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); Washington differs from it mainly through climate and price, and the price is what changes the figure below.
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 | $858.01 | 40% |
| Water heating | 1,720 kWh | $258.05 | 12% |
| Refrigeration & freezing | 1,391 kWh | $208.59 | 10% |
| Cooking | 401 kWh | $60.21 | 3% |
| Washing, drying & dishwashing | 803 kWh | $120.42 | 6% |
| TV, computing & network | 831 kWh | $124.72 | 6% |
| Lighting | 889 kWh | $133.32 | 6% |
| Other appliances | 2,580 kWh | $387.07 | 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.
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 | 9.8 h | 856 kWh | $128.36 |
| Washing Machine ×1.5 | Washing, drying & dishwashing | 500 W | 2.0 h | 548 kWh | $82.12 |
| Refrigerator | Refrigeration & freezing | 150 W | 9.8 h | 535 kWh | $80.23 |
| LED Light Bulb ×12 | Lighting | 9 W | 10.0 h | 394 kWh | $59.13 |
| Laptop ×5 | TV, computing & network | 45 W | 3.9 h | 321 kWh | $48.18 |
| Hair Dryer ×3 | Other appliances | 1,800 W | 9 min | 296 kWh | $44.35 |
| Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) ×2 | TV, computing & network | 180 W | 1.5 h | 193 kWh | $28.91 |
| Induction Cooktop ×2 | Cooking | 1,800 W | 9 min | 193 kWh | $28.90 |
| Television ×2 | TV, computing & network | 100 W | 2.0 h | 143 kWh | $21.41 |
| Electric Oven ×0.7 | Cooking | 2,500 W | 9 min | 94 kWh | $14.05 |
| Computer Monitor ×2 | TV, computing & network | 30 W | 3.9 h | 86 kWh | $12.85 |
| Electric Kettle ×4 | Cooking | 2,000 W | 1 min | 64 kWh | $9.63 |
| Vacuum Cleaner ×0.5 | Other appliances | 1,000 W | 15 min | 46 kWh | $6.84 |
| Wi-Fi Router | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 11.7 h | 43 kWh | $6.42 |
| Microwave ×3 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 2 min | 40 kWh | $6.02 |
| Smart Speaker ×2 | TV, computing & network | 3 W | 11.7 h | 26 kWh | $3.85 |
| Phone Charger ×5 | TV, computing & network | 10 W | 59 min | 18 kWh | $2.68 |
| Toaster ×2 | Cooking | 1,000 W | 1 min | 11 kWh | $1.61 |
| Streaming Stick or Box | TV, computing & network | 4 W | 2.0 h | 3 kWh | $0.43 |
| Small appliances, standby and items not listed | Other appliances | – | – | 2,239 kWh | $335.88 |
| Additional lights and fittings | Lighting | – | – | 495 kWh | $74.19 |
| Extra loads or older machines not listed | Washing, drying & dishwashing | – | – | 255 kWh | $38.30 |
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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.