Do I use too much electricity?
Here's what you need to know if you want to assess your energy consumption.
One way to analyse your energy consumption is to compare it over time and to look at how much electricity you used in two consecutive years. That way you can see, for example, whether efficiency measures have actually helped lower your consumption. Perhaps your personal situation has changed and you used more or less electricity compared to the previous year, for example because you bought a new appliance or because you had been away for a longer period. However, if you detect major differences between your yearly consumptions, it is definitely worth having a closer look, potentially with the help of an energy consultant.
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Another option is to compare your consumption with similar households. This is particularly useful if you want to know whether you already have a rather low electricity consumption or whether there is still substantial potential for saving energy. The table below gives you an indication of how much electricity an average household uses each year.
Number of people | Average electricity consumption / year | Average electricity consumption / year with electric water heating |
1 person | 2,400 kWh | 2,700 kWh |
2 people | 3,000 kWh | 3,500 kWh |
3 people | 3,600 kWh | 4,500 kWh |
4 people | 4,000 kWh | 5,100 kWh |
5 people | 5,000 kWh | 6,300 kWh |
Please keep in mind that this table does not reflect all possible scenarios. Depending on your personal situation, you will need to adjust the values. For example, if you own an electric vehicle, your consumption will increase by an average of 2,500 kWh/year. If you heat electrically, this adds around 2,000 kWh per resident per year.