Energy Guides

How much is the average electricity bill?

Updated: Tuesday 8 May, 2012

By Martin Fagan

If you are worried that your last electricity bill was a bit too high and you’re paying over the odds, there is a way you can find out.

You can easily work out the average electricity bill in the UK, and from there compare and discover whether you are paying more than you should be for your electricity.

Average consumption

The UK energy regulator Ofgem has a standard measure by which energy suppliers and comparison websites calculate the “average” household gas and electricity consumption.

From 2 May 2012, this basic measure is now:

• Average electricity usage of 4,000 kWh (£575 at current prices)
• Average gas usage of 16,900 kWh (£780 at current prices)

It is important to note that these are just meant to represent "typical" consumption figures. In reality, there is no such thing as a typical consumer. Every household is different and it goes without saying that the size of the building and the number of occupants makes a huge difference.

For example, using the figures and the current rates provided by Ofgem, an average household paying by direct debit for dual fuel should get a yearly bill of around £1,310.

Why your bill might be higher than the national average

You could be paying more than Ofcom’s “average” because of the following reasons:

• You’re on a standard tariff - If you are on your supplier’s standard tariff then you will be paying more than the average household, which is probably far too much. The standard tariffs are among the most expensive around, so if you can, it would be wise to switch to a cheaper deal as soon as possible.
• You are not paying by direct debit - Paying your energy bills by monthly direct debit will cut your bills significantly
• You are on estimated bills - If you do not submit meter readings then you will be on estimated bills which tend to be on the conservative side and may not accurately reflect your actual consumption. As soon as an energy company representative reads your meter, then you’ll probably see your bill rocket. Therefore it’s best to submit your meter readings to your supplier so you don’t get a nasty shock.
• Paper bill - Receiving paper bills is a more costly way of paying for energy as well. If you switch to an online account and move onto a paperless billing system, (bills sent to you by email), then you will find that your bills will reduce too - by as much as 10% with some suppliers.

Ways to reduce your electricity bills

It could be that you are simply using much more electricity in your home than you actually need to.

Thankfully, there are a number of ways you can save on your electricity bills, that take no time at all and require very little effort on your part.

For example:

• Always turn off lights when not in use
• Don’t leave any appliances on standby
• Make sure the washing machine or dishwasher is full before running it
• Only boil as much water as you need in the kettle, (although make sure the kettle’s element is covered by water)
• Use energy-saving lightbulbs - they do what it says on the tin and last 10 times longer
• Do not leave your laptop or mobile phone on charge unnecessarily - remember it only takes a couple of hours to charge fully and will still draw electricity from the socket even when it’s fully charged.
• When charging the phone or laptop, don’t just disconnect the charging cable from the gadget and leave the charger plugged in, as the charger will continue to consume electricity