How much energy does an average house consume?

A look at current electricity prices shows that they are one reason why monthly living costs are constantly rising. Nor is there any reason to expect electricity prices to fall in the near future. The composition of the price of electricity is one reason why the costs are so high.

However, consumers have the opportunity to change their behaviour regarding energy consumption and thereby reduce their electricity costs. To achieve this change, it is important to determine electricity consumption in a single-family house. But what level of consumption is normal for a single-family house, and how can the costs be reduced?

Essentially, electricity consumption in a detached house depends on several factors. Taken together, these result in individual electricity consumption. Consumer behaviour and the number of consumers alone are crucial here.

These factors also include:

This formula can be used to roughly estimate electricity consumption:

(number of people × 200kWh) + (number of square metres of living space × 10kWh) + (number of electrical devices in the household × 200kWh)

Composition of the characteristics for calculation:

For the basic consumption per person, 200kWh is calculated. An average electricity consumption of 10kWh per square meter is assumed for a single-family house. For electrical household appliances, for large consumers such as washing machines, dishwashers, and televisions, 200kWh is estimated and added per device.

Calculating a household's average consumption is also extremely important if you are thinking of purchasing a solar energy system. Calculating consumption can determine the required size of the solar energy system.

Would you like to secure your future by investing in a solar energy system? If yes, please fill in the form, and we will be happy to advise you.

The following electricity consumption table provides a clear overview of electricity consumption in households with one to five people.

As can be seen here, the average electricity consumption in a one-person household is around 1,400kWh and can be as high as 2,400kWh per year. The difference here is the size of the living space. In addition, a single household sometimes has the same household appliances, such as a washing machine, refrigerator, TV, dishwasher, etc., as can be found in multi-person households.

The power consumption of households with two to five members also depends on the square metres of living space and the electrical appliances used. The increase in power demand among multi-person households is slight, since the number of large electrical appliances used does not change much.

In the future, the cost of electricity required will rise constantly. It can also be assumed that household electricity demand will increase continuously. The reasons for this are increasing electromobility, the generation of electrolysis hydrogen, and the production of batteries and electric heat pumps.

The Ministry for Economic Affairs determined this through a comparative analysis. It expects an 11 percent increase by 2030 compared to 2018. This means a gross electricity consumption of around 658 terawatt-hours in 2030! In private households, heat pumps and electric vehicles are the main factors driving the increase in electricity demand.

Heat pumps are increasingly replacing existing oil and gas heating systems. However, a heat pump needs electricity to work. It can be assumed that around 1kWh of electricity is required to provide 4kWh of heating energy. An average modern single-family house needs around 4000kWh to 10000kWh of heating energy. The heat pump increases the household's electricity consumption by around 1000 to 2500kWh. In this context, purchasing a solar energy system makes a lot of sense.

In the near future, we can also expect more and more people to use electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are an important factor in the field of climate protection. If the electricity needed for the vehicle is generated from renewable energies, then this vehicle can also be considered climate-friendly. If an electric vehicle is charged using electricity from the public grid, electricity consumption increases by a further 2250kWh/year (based on a mileage of approximately 15,000 km).

However, electricity prices will likely rise in the next few years. It is not unlikely that an annual increase of up to 3 percent can be realistically expected in the future. In any case, homeowners will have to reckon with higher electricity costs in the future.

If you want to take precautions today to keep your future electricity costs tolerable, one option is to invest in a photovoltaic system. The solar power generated by the PV system is renewable energy and extremely cheap. Once a PV system has paid for itself, the electricity is free.

A single-family home's electricity consumption is spread across various areas. What consumes the most electricity in the home? One of the biggest consumers in a household is information technology. This includes electricity for radios, televisions, the internet and charging smartphones, tablets, laptops or PCs. In addition, more and more people are working from home or using streaming services, which also contribute to increased consumption.

Furthermore, the biggest energy guzzlers in a home are washing machines, dishwashers and dryers. These are followed by lighting and the use of freezers and fridges. These consumers are joined by cooking, which, at around 9%, accounts for a rather small amount of electricity consumption in a single-family house. With 8% of electricity consumption in a single-family house, water heating tends to be lower down the list.

To reduce electricity costs, replacing energy-guzzling appliances with energy-efficient ones is extremely worthwhile. For example, modern LED bulbs can be used instead of conventional bulbs. Replacing older washing machines, refrigerators, etc., with appliances that have an A+++ energy label can also reduce electricity consumption in the long term.

Even if the practical household appliances are energy-saving, the question arises as to whether they are really needed. Generally speaking, over time, a number of appliances accumulate that are only used occasionally. If these appliances are also in standby mode, they consume electricity unnecessarily.

Furthermore, household appliances such as a tumble dryer can easily be replaced with a standard clothes horse. In addition, appliances such as bread makers, Thermomix food processors and microwaves are not essential either.

Televisions, music systems, video recorders, satellite receivers and a number of other devices are typically switched to standby mode when they are not in use. In standby mode, each device still consumes electricity, which can be saved. By regularly switching off devices, power consumption can be reduced.

If you have already replaced your lighting with energy-saving LED bulbs, you should also ensure that they are not left on unnecessarily in unused rooms. You can also reduce the brightness of your computer screens to save electricity.

This also includes smartphones and tablet screens. Electricity can also be saved on hot water if heated by a boiler, for example, by reducing the temperature by a few degrees.