What Is the Average Electricity Consumption per Person in a Household?

In France, the average electricity consumption per person is 2,223 kWh per year(3). According to INSEE (France’s National Institute of Statistics), the average household size was 2.17 people per primary residence in 2020(4). Does this mean the average electricity consumption per person per month is around 178 kWh? Do individuals consume the same amount when living alone in a small apartment in the city center compared to a family of five living in a large house in the countryside? In this article, discover the average annual electricity consumption per person in France.

Individual electricity consumption: what factors make it vary from one household to another?

Whether you live alone in a small studio or with four people in a 100 m² house, your individual electricity consumption will not be the same. But what explains these differences?

General factors

The characteristics of your home have a strong influence on electricity consumption. Several factors can play a role:

• The layout of the property (room arrangement, room volumes, etc.)
  

• Insulation quality
  

• The age and type of heating equipment (traditional electric convectors, inertia radiators, storage heaters, heat pumps, etc.)
  

• The age and energy rating of household appliances
  

Your energy habits also influence how many kWh you consume. For example, a couple that sets the heating to 21°C will naturally consume more electricity than if they set it to 19°C. The same applies to hot water: the hotter the water used, the higher the energy consumption.

Similarly, a household equipped with many appliances will logically consume more electricity than one that washes dishes by hand and air-dries laundry.

Your uses of electricity also significantly impact overall consumption. A fully electric home (heating, cooking, and domestic hot water all powered by electricity) will consume much more electricity than a similar home heated by gas, for example.

Factors related to the number of occupants and their characteristics

Some factors influencing a household’s electricity consumption and therefore individual consumption are directly linked to the number of occupants.

For example, hot water consumption tends to increase as the number of occupants grows, especially when young children are present. Households take more showers or baths, and washing machine and dishwasher cycles increase. This has a direct impact when hot water is produced using electricity.

At the same time, household appliances tend to increase as the number of occupants rises. While a couple may wash dishes by hand, a family of five is more likely to rely on a dishwasher. The same logic applies to appliances like tumble dryers.

In addition, the number of televisions, game consoles, smartphones to charge, and other electronic devices often grows with the number of residents. All these elements influence the overall electricity consumption of the household.

Finally, age, lifestyle, and work organization also affect electricity consumption. For example, remote workers or retirees generally use more electricity during the day than a couple working outside the home.

Factors related to the size and location of your home

Conversely, some factors depend mainly on the surface area to heat, the number of floors, and the number of rooms. This is particularly true for heating.

For example, in a 100 m² house, heating needs will remain roughly the same whether there are four or five occupants.

Similarly, the location of the property affects electricity consumption and therefore individual consumption:

• An 80 m² well-insulated apartment will generally cost less to heat with electricity than a 120 m² house from the 1970s located in the countryside, even if the number of occupants is the same.
  

• A 100 m² apartment in Rennes will consume less electricity for heating than a similar apartment in Chambéry, where winters are colder due to the mountainous climate, assuming similar insulation.

Examples of average electricity consumption per person

Individual consumption in a fully electric home

Observations show that individual consumption tends to be lower when the number of occupants per square meter is higher.

For example, a single person living in 35 m² consumes nearly 40% more electricity for heating, cooking, and hot water than a person living in a household of five occupying a 120 m² house.

This is logical: as mentioned earlier, electricity consumption does not increase linearly with the number of occupants.

Here are some concrete examples depending on the household composition.

Simulations carried out for an ENGIE green electricity offer subscribed in a medium-sized city in central France (Bourges).

The impact of location on electric heating costs

Quite logically, for the same home size and household composition, electricity consumption for heating will be higher where winters are colder.

For example, a resident of Paris consumes slightly more than 6% more electricity for heating than someone living in Marseille.

Simulations carried out for a couple living in a 60 m² apartment equipped with a Linky meter, subscribed to the Heures Pleines / Heures Creuses (Peak/Off-Peak) option, a common pricing option in France where electricity is cheaper during certain hours of the day.

The impact of usage on the electricity bill

As shown earlier, energy usage plays a major role in total household consumption. Heating alone represents a large share of electricity bills.

Vous envisagez de changer votre chauffage électrique ? Pour départager les solutions alternatives, ENGIE vous propose son comparatif entre pompe à chaleur et poêle à pellets. 

Ways to reduce your energy consumption

Would you like to adopt more responsible electricity consumption? Several simple actions can help you reduce the number of kWh you consume each year.

Start by improving your home’s insulation. If your electrical equipment is outdated, try replacing it gradually. Carefully check energy labels, which indicate the expected consumption of household appliances.

Lowering your heating temperature can also significantly reduce your energy bills.

Remember to turn off leisure electronics, such as game consoles, televisions, radios, and internet boxes, when you finish using them, or unplug them at night. Individually, standby consumption is small, but combined it becomes significant.

Switch to LED lighting and turn off lights when they are no longer needed.

You can also optimize how you use your appliances:

• Use cold cycles or “Eco” programs on dishwashers and washing machines. Although longer, they consume less energy because they heat water less(5).
  

• Run appliances only when fully loaded to avoid half-empty cycles.
  

• In summer, avoid using the tumble dryer and dry laundry in the open air instead.
  

Defrost your refrigerator and freezer regularly.

Finally, limit the use of air conditioning and fans. Instead, create airflow early in the morning and late in the evening to cool your home. Close windows and shutters when the sun rises.

• To go further, consult our guide on 10 ways to reduce electricity consumption.

In addition to these daily actions, pay attention to the origin of your electricity. By subscribing to ENGIE’s Elec Vert+ option, you are guaranteed electricity purchased directly from French renewable energy producers.

Discover Elec Vert+

• For further guidance, you can also read our guide on how to choose your electricity supplier.

Explore the French version of this article