Average gas and electric usage for UK households

If you're considering an energy switch, it helps to have as much information as possible to hand before you compare gas and electric tariffs to find the cheapest gas and electricity suppliers.

How and when you use gas and electricity will determine which type of tariff you should choose, along with how much you can afford to spend on energy each month.

When working out how much you can spend, it helps to know whether you are a low, medium or high-energy user. That way, energy companies can offer you a precise quote, to help make sure you aren’t left with an inaccurate bill after the first month.

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What’s the average energy usage for a UK household?

Calculating the average energy usage for UK homes is difficult because there are so many factors that can affect how much you will pay, from how well insulated your home is to the time of the day your household uses the most energy, average energy consumption figures can vary slightly.

Ofgem, the energy regulator, has created the following Typical Domestic Consumption Values (TDCVs), which are a set of estimates designed to give you an idea how much gas and electricity your home uses. Perfect for figuring out your average energy consumption.

What is typical household gas usage?

Thinking to yourself “how much gas do I use?”. Well, low household gas consumption is roughly defined as 8,000kWh, rising to 12,000kWh for average consumption and 17,000kWh for high consumption. This means that average gas usage per month works out at 1,000 kWh.

Typically, gas usage increases by 2,500kWh for each extra bedroom in your home.

What is typical household electricity usage?

Electricity Profile Class 1

Electricity Profile Class 2

Regarding electricity consumption, the following figures apply:

• Low consumption is estimated as being between 1,800kWh and 2,400kWh
• Medium consumption at 2,900kWh to 4,200kWh
• High consumption is between 4,300kWh and 7,100kWh.

This means that average electricity usage per month in UK households is about 350kWh.

These consumption rates are based upon your electricity profile class (see below) and usage increases by roughly 250kWh per extra bedroom in the house.

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How much electricity does a house use per day?

The average electricity usage per day per household all depends on how many people are in the house and which appliances are being used - this is why households usually use more energy at weekends, and why we're expecting a spike in energy usage during the coronavirus lockdown.

Average energy consumption is also affected by the weather, which is why energy bills are usually higher during the darker, colder winter months, but average household electricity consumption works out at between eight and 10 kWh per day.

And, for reference, the average gas usage in UK households is between 32 and 38 kWh per day.

What are Electricity Profile Classes?

Electricity profile classes define the type of energy user you are, and can affect the unit rates that are offered to you when you run an energy price comparison.

There are nine classes in total, but only two are related to domestic energy usage.

Profile Class 01 - Domestic Unrestricted - The majority of households fall into this category, which is typically a low usage Class. Most home-run businesses will also fall into this group and so don't usually need to switch to a business energy plan. If you run your business from home, it might be worth considering a micro business energy deal.

Profile Class 02 – Domestic Economy 7 - These are households with an Economy 7 Meter installed. This is known as a 'time-of-use tariff’ and is put in place to help smaller energy users save money between peak and off-peak times.

Time of use tariffs are usually offered as either an Economy 7 or an Economy 10 contract.  

  This type of contact features discounted evening rates and can save you money if you require energy predominantly during such periods. As always, to ensure you get the best possible tariffs, the experts at UKPower are on hand to provide you with all the information you require to make a much more informed decision.

Not only does this ensure you are getting access to the very best deals currently available, but it also provides much-needed peace-of-mind in that you can rest assured that you have reached the cheapest deal available to you.

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What is an average household energy bill?

We've crunched the numbers to help you work out what the average gas and electric bills are for UK households.

What is an average dual fuel bill?

What is an average gas bill?

What is an average electricity bill?

For homeowners wanting an average dual bill, monthly costs for a 1 or 2-bedroomed house will stand at around £66, rising to around £795 for the year.

For larger, 3 or 4-bedroom houses, the monthly dual energy fees will be around £97, rising to £1,163 for the year.

For electricity bills, 1 or 2-bedroom dwellings can expect to pay £34 per month, with this increasing to £49 per month for 3 and 4-bedroom houses.

Finally, average gas bills for homes in the UK start at £33 per month for 1 or 2-bedroom houses, rising to £48 for a 2 or 3-bedroom house. These figures have been calculated using energy consumption estimates.

These estimates calculate that for a 1 or 2-bedroom house, average gas consumption currently stands at around 8,000kWh, with electricity consumption approximately 2,000kW.

These figures rise to 12,500 kWh of gas and 3,100kWh of electricity for a typical 3 or 4-bedroom house. As with all estimates, there can, of course, be differences.

If you wish to get a much more accurate quote, UKPower will use the information you provide to find you deals that much more accurately reflect what you will be paying each month for your energy.
 

What's the average daily energy usage for UK households?

As you can see, there are a number of things that can affect how much you pay for gas and electricity and even alter your average usage, such as what type of equipment you use and how much of it you have. Even the day of the week and time year has an impact.

On average, a rough estimate of electricity consumption is around 8kWh to 10 kWh per day, while for gas consumption, the figure stands at 33kWh to 38 kWh daily. These figures are only estimates, and will most likely rise in the winter and fall in the summer.

How much is your energy consumption costing you?

As such, UK households can expect to pay around £1,200 a year for both gas and electricity for an average-sized home. Again, such figures can vary quite a lot, depending on factors such as average consumption, how well insulated your home is and market prices. Therefore, if you want to reduce your energy consumption and your monthly energy bills, you should perform a price comparison between what you are currently paying and what other energy companies in the UK are offering.

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