Average electricity usage in the UK: how many kWh does your home use?
23 August 2024 | Celia Topping
The figures included in this article were correct at the time of publication, August 2024, but may become incorrect due to changes in the cost of energy in the future.
Have you ever wondered how much electricity the average UK home uses? And if you’re using too much, or paying too much? Or have you considered which appliances might be the major electricity guzzlers in your home? Smart meters and In-Home Displays have made it much easier to track our energy use these days. And if you have a smart meter, you can keep track of your energy usage on the OVO app.
So, let’s take a peek inside the average UK household, and see how much we spend on electricity. And, perhaps more importantly, which appliances we spend the most on. We’ll also compare UK energy use to different countries around the world.
How much electricity (kWh) does the average home use in the UK?
First up, what’s a kWh? Quite simply, it’s just the way energy is measured – in the same way that kgs measure weight. Energy suppliers use kWh to see how much energy you’ve used, and work out your bills. For example, using 1kWh, you could boil a kettle 10 times, or watch TV for 7 hours.
All the appliances in your home use energy, but some use more than others. When you know how many kWh each one uses, you can better track your use, be more energy efficient, and cut your bills.
UK household electricity use has been dropping over the last 10 years1, largely because we have more energy-efficient appliances. Smaller houses, better-insulation and warmer winters also play a role. According to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the average household uses 3,509 kWh per year2.
How does your home compare to others in the UK?
Just because an average UK household uses around 3,509 kWh/year, that doesn’t mean yours should. One of the problems with comparing yourself to an average household, is that the figure tends to be skewed by a small number of homes using large amounts of electricity.
With this in mind, it’s best to compare your own home’s energy use to a home of a similar size and type. Here are the averages by home type in the UK:
As you’d expect to see from the data, bigger homes tend to use more electricity.
Mid terraces and flats use the least electricity, both clocking in around 2,800kWh/year. End terraces use slightly more, with semi-detached homes next, followed by bungalows and detached houses at 4,153kWh.
These figures don’t include heating. If your home uses electric heating, then the figures would obviously be much higher. Of course, knowing how you compare won’t help you reduce your electricity use that much. For that we’ll need to dig into the data a little more.
What's a typical home's electricity use?
Ofgem, the UK’s energy regulator, has produced the following Typical Domestic Consumption Values (TDCVs) for 2023. These estimates show how much electricity a UK home uses in average a year.
As you can see from the table below, the data is divided into 2 profiles. There are 9 profiles in total – but only the first 2 relate to domestic use. Profile 1 is Domestic Unrestricted, which most homes fall under. And Profile 2 covers Domestic Economy 7. Economy 7 users have a lower off-peak rate at night, when they pay less for their electricity.
To find out more about Economy 7, take a look at our focused guides.
| Electricity: Profile Class 1 (kWh) | Electricity: Profile Class 2 (kW) |
| Low - 1,800 | Low - 2,200 |
| Medium - 2,700 | Medium - 3,900 |
| High - 4,100 | High - 6,700 |
From this, we can work out that in a home with medium electricity use, the average monthly electricity use is about 225kWh. (2,700kWh divided by 12 months).
How much electricity does a home use per day?
It’s tricky to be precise with daily usage, because it depends on a few factors – such as whether it’s midweek or weekend, how many people live at home, and the number of appliances in use, etc. The time of year is another factor. Darker, colder months mean higher energy bills than in summer, for example.
Taking all this into consideration, home electricity use works out at around 7.5kWh (225kWh divided by 30 days) for the average household.
How much is your energy use costing you?
Figures for average bills also vary massively. Again, it’s based on the size of the home, number of people living there, insulation levels, and even bill payment methods. Paying by Direct Debit, for example, is cheaper than paying by prepayment meter. Below is some useful data from UKPower, to show how bills can vary.
To find out more about how you can benefit from a dual fuel tariff, or get the low-down on all the various other types of energy tariffs, check out our handy guides.
What's an average dual fuel bill?
| House type | Monthly bill | Quarterly bill | Annual bill |
| 1/2 bedroom house/flat | £66 | £199 | £795 |
| 3/4 bedroom house | £97 | £291 | £1,163 |
| 5+ bedroom house | £137 | £410 | £1,639 |
Source: UKPower3
What's an average electric bill?
| House type | Monthly bill | Quarterly bill | Annual bill |
| 1/2 bedroom house/flat | £34 | £101 | £403 |
| 3/4 bedroom house | £49 | £148 | £590 |
| 5+ bedroom house | £70 | £211 | £846 |
Source: UKPower3
What's an average gas bill?
| House type | Monthly bill | Quarterly bill | Annual bill |
| 1/2 bedroom house/flat | £33 | £98 | £392 |
| 3/4 bedroom house | £48 | £143 | £572 |
| 5+ bedroom house | £66 | £198 | £793 |
Source: UKPower3
If you’re a little surprised by these averages, and feel you’re paying too much for your energy bills, check out how to switch energy suppliers, to help you get the best deal.
Find out more about our energy plans, and start cutting your carbon footprint today, by making the switch.
How does the UK compare to other countries around the world?
This table shows the average electricity use per home worldwide (kWh) in 2018.
As you can see from the table, the UK uses relatively little compared to other countries. In 2018 we used just under 4,000 kWh per household – which goes to show how much energy use has dropped in just 2 years. It’s incredible to see how the USA consumes about 3 times as much as we do. But the real energy-guzzler is plain to see. Saudi Arabia consumes almost 25,000kWh per household4.
So why does Saudi Arabia use so much electricity? Well, with temperatures regularly rising above 40 degrees, you can bet most of that electricity goes on air-conditioning. And as you know, air-conditioning isn’t quite so essential in the UK. Plus, we have smaller homes, and we generally heat our homes with gas rather than electricity.
When do we use electricity?
The peak time for electricity use is between 6pm and 8pm. This is when most people are cooking dinner, switching on lights, watching TV, and using various appliances around the home.
Understanding when we use electricity and what we use it for, can be really helpful when you’re trying to be more energy-efficient. But what you may not yet know is that some appliances, like a TV or laptop, still use electricity, even when they’re on standby.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, an average home can spend £35 a year, just by leaving appliances on standby. Which is a total waste of energy, and money. So remember to unplug, or switch it off at the wall.
Join OVO today and get insights into exactly where and when you use your electricity. Our smart meters and In-Home Displays give accurate information every half-hour5 – making it easy to see how you could save money on your bills. Plus, you can keep track of your energy use with our app.
How do we use electricity in the home?
Before we get into electricity use for individual appliances, it can be really useful to understand demand according to end use. This table shows just that.
| End use | Percentage of electricity |
|---|---|
| Cold appliances (fridges, freezers) | 16% |
| Wet appliances (washing machines, dishwashers etc) | 21% |
| Cooking (ovens, microwaves etc) | 14% |
| Lighting (lamps and lights) | 15% |
| Consumer electronics (TV, laptop, phone, games consoles etc) | 14% |
| ICT and unknown | 7% and 14% |
Data taken from the Home Energy Survey for a home without electric heating6.
Unsurprisingly wet appliances use most of your power, but using eco mode will help here – and making sure you only use your appliances once they're full. Cold appliances are the next biggest drain on your power at 16% – because by nature they have to be kept on constantly. It’s worth noting that lighting bills (15% of your electricity bill) can be drastically reduced by using energy-saving LEDs. Consumer electronics use a considerable 14% – that's largely due to leaving everything on standby mode. Remember to turn it off fully, or those energy vampires will drain your power.
Now let’s take a look at how much your appliances are costing you per year.
How much does it cost to run a TV?
How much electricity a TV uses will obviously depend on how much you watch it. But it also depends on the size of screen you choose. The bigger the screen, the more energy it uses. The Energy Saving Trust estimates an A-rated 60 inch TV would cost £39 a year to run. Whereas the equivalent rated 32 inch TV would cost only £12. But an A++ rated 60 inch screen would cost £20 less a year, and an A++ rated 32 inch would cost £6 less7.
How much does it cost to run a fridge?
Fridges and freezers are the only appliances in your home which need to be plugged in and working around the clock. So it definitely makes sense to get the most energy-efficient model. Electricity use varies greatly depending on size – and just so you know, it’s cheaper to run a fridge-freezer than two separate appliances.
Fridge-freezers have become so much more energy-efficient in recent years. You could actually save up to £113 a year, just by switching to a more efficient model8.
To find out more about energy-efficient fridges and freezers, see our useful blog.
How much does it cost to run a computer?
Working from home? A desktop computer uses around 0.1kWh per hour. So if you’re working for 8 hours, it’ll cost you around 10p per day (based on an average energy unit cost of 12.5 p/kWh). A laptop however, runs at 0.05kWh. So for that same working day, you’ll only pay 5p9.
How much do light bulbs cost to use?
It really depends on the bulb. A traditional incandescent bulb which uses 0.06kWh, used for 8 hours a day, would cost you £21.90 a year. LEDs on the other hand are much more cost-effective. You’ll pay around £6 for an LED that will last for years, and only use around 6kWh per year9.
To find out all you want to know about energy-saving light bulbs, check out our guide.
How much does it cost to run a washing machine?
On average, a 6 litre washing machine uses around 1kWh for an hour’s wash. So if your rate is 16p per kWh, at 2 washes a week, it would cost you around £16 a year. According to the Energy Saving Trust, using an A++ rated washing machine could save you around £65 over its 11-year lifetime. To save the most energy, make sure you’re only washing with a full load, and use low temperatures whenever possible.
Sources and references:
1. As per Ofgem analysis of BEIS, Energy consumption statistics in the UK (1970-2018) and BEIS, historical gas data: gas production and consumption and fuel input (1920 to 2016). https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/system/files/docs/2019/11/20191030_state_of_energy_market_revised.pdf
4. https://selectra.co.uk/energy/guides/consumption/average-consumption-uk
5. Smart meters can be set to half hour, daily or monthly collection. The choice is yours.
6. It should be noted that this information is a few years old and comes from a survey done in 2013. Data is taken from Page 217: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/208097/10043_R66141HouseholdElectricitySurveyFinalReportissue4.pdf
7. On 1 March 2021, new energy rating labels were introduced in the UK and EU. A simpler chart, from A to G, without the plus signs. We will update this article with new information soon.