| Reading time: 5 mins If you’re trying to work out the average electricity bill in the UK, then you’re in the right place. Though your bill will vary depending on a variety of different factors, there is an average cost that we can use across the board to determine how much you should be paying. We can do this for both your electricity and gas bill, which are both worth considering if you want the cheapest energy prices.
Whether you think your current electricity supplier is charging too much or not, it’s important to know what other offers are out there. So, let’s look at the average electricity bills across the UK.
Average Energy Bill UK
If we take an average across the entire UK, then the average cost works out at around £600 per year, or £50 per month. However, bear in mind that this is across all different types of households, and it will depend where you’re living. A one bedroom flat is going to have a dramatically different electricity bill than a 4 bedroom house.
As mentioned, your costs are going to vary dramatically based on what kind of house or flat you live in. Energy efficiency is the biggest factor in your monthly utility bills, so it’s worth checking out different ways you can reduce them. So, let’s look at the average based on what the current big 6 are charging in the UK.
| Supplier | Daily Electricity Standing Charge (pence) | Electricity Charge per kWh (pence) | Daily Gas Standing Charge (pence) | Gas Charge per kWh (pence) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottish Power | 23.07 | 17.51 | 27.34 | 3.63 |
| EDF | 23.07 | 16.45 | 21.90 | 2.44 |
| British Gas | 25.00 | 16.20 | 25.2 | 3.21 |
| SSE | 23.07 | 17.28 | 27.35 | 3.56 |
| N Power | 21.23 | 15.37 | 23.34 | 2.60 |
| E-on | 22.92 | 18.1 | 26.51 | 3.60 |
Without applying this data to other data, then these figures can be fairly obsolete. Sure, it can give us the difference in prices between the top six energy companies, but it doesn’t give us the average costs for our households, so we don’t know how much a small family or single person uses each month.
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However, we can easily work out the average bill for each type of household based on these figures, and the average energy consumption each year by each type. This assumes that the average person is a dual fuel customer too who gets their electricity and gas from the same energy supplier.
Average Energy Bill for Each Type of Household
| Supplier | Electricity Usage Per Year (kWh) | Gas Usage Per Year (kWh) | Overall Cost w/ Standing Charges |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Bed Flat | 1800 | 6000 | ÂŁ669.26 |
| Two Bed Flat | 2000 | 8000 | ÂŁ769.80 |
| Two Bed House | 2100 | 10000 | ÂŁ850.01 |
| Three Bed House | 3000 | 12000 | ÂŁ1064.70 |
| Four Bed House | 3200 | 13000 | ÂŁ1130.02 |
Overall, there isn’t a significant increase in costs between the averages of a one bed flat and a two bed flat, or a three bed house and a four bed house. However, this guide is intended to be used to analyse your own bills, and see whether you could save money by switching to a cheaper supplier.
This is an average taken across the big six energy suppliers, which tend to be more expensive than some cheaper options out there. You can consider using a price comparison service like Look After My Bills, which helps you to find the very cheapest and best offer for you in your area.
Remember that these are also just the standard energy prices that are used as well, and in some cases, you might be able to find a cheaper rate. For example, if you aren’t around during the daytime, then you could opt for an Economy 7 rate instead, which has higher prices charged throughout the daytime, and is much cheaper at night.
What can have an effect on my energy bill?
In general, your energy bill will be specific to your house, and your postcode. You might find a completely different quote for someone just down the road from you if they have a different style of house. Or, your bills my be different than your Aunt that lives in Newcastle, even if you both have the same identical three bed house (that’s assuming you don’t live in Newcastle too, obviously.
This is because there are different factors which can affect your gas and electricity bills. They include;
- The region and location that your flat or house is situated in. Different regions have different pricing structures and energy suppliers in each area.
- The style of building that you live in will change how much your bills costs. Flats and houses generally have a different price, even if they have the same number of bedrooms.
- The energy consumption of your entire household. The amount of gas and electricity that you use can have an influence on how much you pay, depending on which plan you’ve signed up for.
- The payment method that you choose will also have an impact on how much your bills are. Generally, a monthly direct debit is the best option for you to get the cheapest rate.
- In the long term, the amount of demand for energy in your area will also have an effect on it’s price, though there’s little that you can do about that yourself.
The most important thing out of all of these factors is just the amount of energy that you’re going to use on a regular basis. Although you might not think it, this can vary dramatically from household to household depending on their way of living.
For example, the lighting generally makes up more than 10% of your overall energy bills, and the usage of your home lights will vary depending on how often you’re home, and your work schedule. It will also vary based on its occupants too, as this will increase the costs based on usage e.g. more washing machine usage, the fridge filled up which increased refrigeration costs etc.
How to reduce electricity bill (& gas bill too!)
In terms of your electric bill, the first thing to do is make sure you’re on the cheapest tariff available. Then, you’ll need to take a look at the appliances you’re using around the home and make sure they have a good energy efficiency. Some people are even looking to switch over to using solar panels instead, as this can dramatically reduce the amount you have to pay each year.
Tumble dryers are a big one here, as as a tumble dryer is typically quite a bit cheaper to run than an electric one – it can be as much as half the price if you add up the totals at the end of the year. It also depends on whether you’re using a full load, which is another key factor in how much energy you’ll be using.
When it comes to your gas bill, having a poorly insulated house is usually the biggest culprit in causing your bills to skyrocket throughout the winter. Decent insulation is a must for anyone looking to minimize their utility bills, as it’ll help to retain the heat generated by both your gas and electricity. Double glazing and loft insulation are two of the main things you’re going to want to look for here.
Is heat included in my electric bill?
People often get confused whether their electric bill includes the heating they use within their home. There’s not a separate heating bill, and actually, heating often makes up a large percentage of your energy expenditure throughout the year. So yes, heating does make up part of your average monthly utility bill.
But finding out whether it’s part of your electric bill or your average gas costs really depends on your home. Most people will have a boiler at home that generates their heat, which means that it’d come under your gas bills. Though there are also electric heating systems too which will come under electric; so, it depends on your home.
Generally though, the average price of electric heating is still substantially more than the price of gas heating, meaning that you may end up paying more extra in electric than you would with the average gas bill. The counter to this is that electric heating is much more sustainable, so although electricity prices are higher than gas, it is better for the environment.
Conclusion
All in all, it’s very difficult to estimate your own electricity bill without knowing the right numbers. The main thing that you need to work out and find is how much you’re being charged per kWh of energy that you use, for both electricity and gas. You should be able to find this pretty easily with your yearly bills. There’s not a massive difference in consumption between a three bedroom house and a four bedroom house.
Then, you can work out if what you’re getting is better than the average, and whether it’s worth you looking at switching to a cheaper energy supplier. Nowadays, we have much more power as individuals than we used to have, so it only makes sense that we use the internet to find ourselves the best deal possible.
