What is the average energy bill in Great Britain?
Do you know how much energy your home uses? Your gas and electricity bills depend on your lifestyle, the size of your home and how many people you live with.
11th March 2025
Your average gas and electric bill by house size and usage
Energy prices go up and down, and no one can predict future rates with certainty. Your gas and electricity bill could be higher or lower than the average depending on how much you use. If you’re not on a fixed rate, prices will vary.
Having a rough idea of average costs based on typical domestic usage may help you to keep track of your bills and compare prices with other energy providers. Unit rates and charges vary by region across the UK and by how you pay.
Average energy use for British households
According to Ofgem, the average British household has 2-3 people living in it and uses 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas per year.
This works out at 242 kWh of electricity and 1,000 kWh of gas per month for dual fuel customers. If your home is electric only, you’d expect your electric usage to be higher.
What’s the average gas and electric bill by house size? 1
| Gas and electricity usage | Average annual consumption | Direct Debit | Pay On Receipt | PAYG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (flat or 1-bedroom house / 1-2 people) | Gas: 7,500 kWh Elec: 1,800 kWh | £1,260.75 | £1,348.40 | £1,228.66 |
| Medium (3-bedroom house / 2-3 people) | Gas: 11,500 kWh Elec: 2,700 kWh | £1,737.93 | £1,850.63 | £1,689.23 |
| High (5-bedroom house / 4-5 people) | Gas: 17,500 kWh Elec: 4,100 kWh | £2,466.13 | £2,617.07 | £2,392.09 |
| Gas and electricity usage | Average annual consumption | Direct Debit | Pay On Receipt | PAYG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (flat or 1-bedroom house / 1-2 people) | Gas: 7,500 kWh Elec: 1,800 kWh | £105.06 | £112.37 | £102.39 |
| Medium (3-bedroom house / 2-3 people) | Gas: 11,500 kWh Elec: 2,700 kWh | £144.83 | £154.22 | £140.77 |
| High (5-bedroom house / 4-5 people) | Gas: 17,500 kWh Elec: 4,100 kWh | £205.51 | £218.09 | £199.34 |
What’s the average bill spend for electricity? 1
| Gas and electricity usage | Average annual consumption | Direct Debit | Pay On Receipt | PAYG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (flat or 1-bedroom house / 1-2 people) | 1,800 kWh | £669.65 | £715.66 | £654.97 |
| Medium (3-bedroom house / 2-3 people) | 2,700 kWh | £893.65 | £951.12 | £871.17 |
| High (5-bedroom house / 4-5 people) | 4,100 kWh | £1,241.62 | £1,317.38 | £1,207.49 |
| Gas and electricity usage | Average annual consumption | Direct Debit | Pay On Receipt | PAYG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (flat or 1-bedroom house / 1-2 people) | 1,800 kWh | £55.83 | £59.64 | £54.58 |
| Medium (3-bedroom house / 2-3 people) | 2,700 kWh | £74.47 | £79.26 | £72.60 |
| High (5-bedroom house / 4-5 people) | 4,100 kWh | £103.47 | £109.78 | £100.62 |
What’s the average bill spend for gas? 1
| Gas and electricity usage | Average annual consumption | Direct Debit | Pay On Receipt | PAYG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (flat or 1-bedroom house / 1-2 people) | 7,500 kWh | £590.80 | £632.74 | £573.70 |
| Medium (3-bedroom house / 2-3 people) | 11,500 kWh | £844.28 | £899.52 | £818.06 |
| High (5-bedroom house / 4-5 people) | 17,500 kWh | £1,224,51 | £1,299.69 | £1,184.60 |
| Gas and electricity usage | Average annual consumption | Direct Debit | Pay On Receipt | PAYG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (flat or 1-bedroom house / 1-2 people) | 7,500 kWh | £49.23 | £52.73 | £47.81 |
| Medium (3-bedroom house / 2-3 people) | 11,500 kWh | £70.36 | £74.96 | £68.17 |
| High (5-bedroom house / 4-5 people) | 17,500 kWh | £102.04 | £108.31 | £98.72 |
Compare British Gas tariffs and prices
What makes up your energy bills?
Your energy provider charges you for each unit, or kilowatt hour (kWh) of gas or electricity you use, so the more you use the more you pay.
- Wholesale costs – the commodity cost of buying energy – makes up the largest part of your bill.
- Network costs – maintaining the pipes and cables that bring the gas and electricity into your home. Watch our quick video to see how energy gets to your home
- Operating costs – day-to=day cost of managing your energy account, including billing and metering services
- Policy costs – supporting government social and environmental schemes like Warm Home Discount and smart meters
- VAT – is set at 5%
- EBIT - Earnings Before Interest and Taxes – profit after all other costs.
The chart opposite shows how much each of these costs contributes to the energy bill of a dual fuel customer paying by Direct Debit with typical energy use. Based on the January 2025 price cap.
How your energy bill is calculated
You’ll see two main charges on your gas and electric bill:
Unit rate – the cost you agreed with your energy supplier for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of gas or electricity you use, which could be fixed or variable.
Standing charge – a fixed daily cost you pay in addition to the unit rate regardless of how much gas or electricity you use. The Standing charge covers running costs like metering, maintaining the pipes and cables that supply energy to your home and keeping your home connected to the energy network. Like line rental for energy.
What affects the average gas and electricity bill?
The size of your home and how many people live there can significantly impact how much energy you use. For instance, a property with five bedrooms is more likely to have higher energy bills than a home with one or two bedrooms. A larger home means there’s more rooms or space to heat, and more people means more hot water and more electricity costs.
Lifestyle and how you use energy, energy efficiency measures like how well insulated your home is, and how efficient your home appliances are can also make a difference.
And, if, for example you’re a young family with both parents not working from home and with children at school you will likely use much less electricity than three young professionals all working from home.
Want to find out what everything means on your energy bill? Read our guide to understanding your energy bill.
How to reduce your energy bill
Small changes can make a big difference to your energy bill. Our energy saving tips guide includes simple energy saving hacks to help you cut costs and lower your carbon footprint at the same time.
Tracking your energy
If you have smart meters, log in to your account to see how much energy you are currently using on a daily basis.
Smart meters
Monitor how much energy you use with a smart meter, and save time as they automatically send your meter readings to us.
PeakSave
Join hundreds of thousands of customers using their smart meters to save money with PeakSave Sundays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my electric bill so high?
If you think you’re being charged too much for your energy, first check to see if your bill is estimated. If it is, take a meter reading and send it to your supplier so that your bill is accurate and you’re only paying for the energy you use.
High energy bills can be caused by the price of energy rising, how much you’re using or a mix of both. We can help if you think your energy bill isn’t correct.
Is gas or electric more expensive?
On the face of it, gas is cheaper than electricity with price cap rates set by Ofgem at 5.48 pence per kWh for gas versus 22.36 pence per kWh for electricity (1 July to 20 September 2024).
But it’s not as simple as cost per kWh. There are other factors to consider like the cost of heating your home.
Gas is generally cheaper to run than electricity. However, gas boilers are expensive to install and need regular servicing to maintain efficiency. Storage heaters are an alternative to traditional central heating systems and make the most of off-peak electricity prices with Economy 7 and 10 meters to help keep costs down. And there’s other electric options to help with costs like underfloor heating and heat pumps.
For cooking, gas ovens are generally cheaper to run than electric, but they tend to be on for longer than fan assisted electric ovens, microwaves or air fryers.
Ultimately, the amount you pay for your gas or electricity will vary depending on the unit rates, the efficiency of your heating system and insulation, your lifestyle and heating needs.
What is the average electric use per day?
According to Ofgem, the average electricity usage per day is 7.4 kWh for electricity and 31.5 kWh for gas.
These averages are based on a dual fuel customer on standard variable tariff paying by Direct Debit. You daily energy usage depends on your lifestyle, the size of your home, the energy efficiency of your home and appliances and how many people you live with.
Important information
Based on the January 2025 price cap rates and customer with typical usage, paying by Direct Debit. Rates and standing charges are averages and will vary by region, payment method and meter type. Rates are effective from 1st January 2025.
These figures are based on Ofgem infographic - bills, prices and profits - search 'breakdown of a bill'.