Average energy bills by house size
Published 23 October 2026. Prices are the cap for 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2026.
Ofgem publishes three typical levels of household energy use, low, medium and high, and describes the homes behind each. At the current price cap, paying by direct debit, they come to about £1,208, £1,724 and £2,424 a year for a home with gas and electricity.
| Home | Electricity a year | Gas a year | Cost a year | A month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat or 1-bedroom home1–2 people, Ofgem’s low user | 1,600 kWh | 6,000 kWh | £1,208 | £101 |
| 2–3 bedroom house2–3 people, Ofgem’s medium user | 2,500 kWh | 9,500 kWh | £1,724 | £144 |
| 4+ bedroom home4–5 people, Ofgem’s high user | 3,800 kWh | 14,000 kWh | £2,424 | £202 |
Great Britain average direct debit rates, standing charges included. Averaged over a year: real monthly bills are higher in winter, when most gas is used, unless you pay a fixed direct debit.
In your region
The cap differs by region, mostly in the standing charge, so the same home costs more in some places than others.
| Region | Flat or 1-bedroom home | 2–3 bedroom house | 4+ bedroom home |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | £1,170 | £1,672 | £2,354 |
| North West England | £1,171 | £1,684 | £2,383 |
| London | £1,181 | £1,706 | £2,419 |
| West Midlands | £1,201 | £1,708 | £2,396 |
| East of England | £1,197 | £1,713 | £2,415 |
| North Scotland | £1,204 | £1,717 | £2,413 |
| Southern England | £1,195 | £1,719 | £2,431 |
| North East England | £1,216 | £1,722 | £2,410 |
| Yorkshire | £1,217 | £1,724 | £2,413 |
| South and Central Scotland | £1,223 | £1,734 | £2,427 |
| South East England | £1,211 | £1,735 | £2,446 |
| South Wales | £1,222 | £1,744 | £2,453 |
| South West England | £1,222 | £1,746 | £2,457 |
| Merseyside and North Wales | £1,277 | £1,805 | £2,523 |
Cheapest first for a 2–3 bedroom house. Not sure of your region? Find it by postcode.
By type of home
Ofgem’s levels go by size. Electricity use also differs by type of home. Across 3 million smart meter profiles in the OpenSynth Faraday dataset, average electricity use and its cost at today’s cap were:
| Type of home | Electricity a year | Electricity cost a year |
|---|---|---|
| Detached house | 3,866 kWh | £1,218 |
| Semi-detached house | 3,652 kWh | £1,161 |
| Terraced house | 3,434 kWh | £1,104 |
| Flat or maisonette | 3,239 kWh | £1,053 |
| BungalowSmall sample; treat with caution | 2,939 kWh | £974 |
These are means, which run higher than Ofgem’s medians because homes with heat pumps, electric cars or electric heating pull an average up. Electricity only; gas is not in this dataset.
Why your bill may be nothing like these
The number of bedrooms is a weak guide on its own. What moves a bill is how a home is heated, how well it holds heat, how many people are in it during the day, and whether there’s an electric car or a heat pump on the meter. Across Great Britain, the median home used 2,471 kWh of electricity and 9,859 kWh of gas in the government’s latest meter readings, close to Ofgem’s medium level, but half of homes use more.
Your real use is on your bill, in kWh. If you have a smart meter, the electricity and gas analysers read your supplier’s download and show where it goes. The benchmark compares you with homes of the same type, and home energy use by area shows what homes near you use.
Common questions
What is the average energy bill for a 3-bedroom house?
Ofgem’s typical figures put a 2–3 bedroom house at 2,500 kWh of electricity and 9,500 kWh of gas a year. At the price cap for 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2026 that costs about £1,724 a year, or £144 a month, paying by direct debit at the Great Britain average rates.
What is the average energy bill for a 1-bedroom flat?
About £1,208 a year (£101 a month) for Ofgem’s low user, a flat or 1-bedroom home using 1,600 kWh of electricity and 6,000 kWh of gas. Many flats have no gas; electricity alone at that level comes to about £621, but a flat heated by electricity will use far more than 1,600 kWh.
What is the average energy bill for a 4-bedroom house?
About £2,424 a year (£202 a month) for Ofgem’s high user, a 4+ bedroom home using 3,800 kWh of electricity and 14,000 kWh of gas, at the Great Britain average rates.
Why does the same house cost more in some regions?
Standing charges differ by region, by up to about £90 a year for electricity alone. For a 2–3 bedroom house the same use costs from £1,672 in East Midlands to £1,805 in Merseyside and North Wales.
Usage levels are Ofgem’s typical domestic consumption values from 1 July 2026, with Ofgem’s descriptions of the homes behind each. Rates are Ofgem’s price cap rates, checked 23 October 2026.