Average Gas and Electric Bill per UK Household

Get a savings alert once switchable tariffs are back!

  • Sign up for our newsletter to get savings alerts once switchable tariffs are back.
  • Also get promo codes, tips, news and cool insights to help you save money.

Get a savings alert once switchable tariffs are back!

  • Sign up for our newsletter to be alerted about energy deals.
  • Promo codes, tips, news, data updates and cool data trends to help you save money.


Heading into the 2024, a typical household (that is, with typical energy usage) will be paying close to £160 per month (£1,928 a year—matching the Energy Price Guarantee for January to March 2024) for combined gas and electricity. With energy costs now accounting for close to 10% of the average UK household budget, most people are acutely aware of their gas and electric bills. In fact, we spend twice as much on energy bills as we spend on clothing and footwear.

In order to understand how much the typical household spends on their energy costs, we analyzed data from the Gov.uk and OFGEM. Our research splits out monthly gas and electricity bills across different geographic regions in the UK, so you can see how your utility bills compare.

How Much do UK Households Spend on Gas and Electricity Bills?

The average gas and electric bill in the UK in early 2024 for a typical household with median usage will be £168 per month (or £2,020 per year or £505 per quarter, for those paying every 3 months). The average UK gas bill will be £83 monthly (£249 per quarter or £996 a year). The average UK electric bill will be £85 per month (£256 per quarter or £1,024 a year). These figures are based on the energy price limits for January - March 2024 (effectively £0.074/kWh for gas and £0.286/kWh for electricity; daily standing charges of 29.6p/day and 53.4p/day, respectively) and typical usage, using median usage figures of 12,000 kWh of gas and 2,900 kWh of electricity consumption per year. Note: these figures assume payment by direct debit and include VAT at 5%.

(These energy spending figures mean a typical household spends close to 10% of their total monthly budget on energy costs.)

Typical Household Energy Costs (medium usage, 50th percentile)kWh usedPer MonthPer QuarterPer Year
Gas12,000£83£249£996
Electricity2,900£85£256£1,024
Total Energy Bills£168£505£2,020

But energy usage varies a lot from one household to the next. For example, if we look at households with lower-than-average consumption in the 25th percentile (meaning, households where 25% of all consumers use less energy and 75% use more energy), they use around 33% less gas and 38% less electricity. On the other hand, households with higher-than-average consumption in the 75th percentile (meaning, households where 75% of all consumers use less energy and only 25% use more energy) use around 42% more gas and 48% more electricity than "average". The table below compares average energy bill costs for these three tiers of households: those with low usage (25th percentile), typical usages (50th percentile) and higher usage (75th percentile):

Typical Household Energy CostskWh usedPer MonthPer QuarterPer Year
GasLow (25th percentile)8,000£58£175£700
Medium (50th percentile)12,000£83£249£996
High (75th percentile)17,000£114£342£1,366
ElectricityLow (25th percentile)1,800£59£177£710
Medium (50th percentile)2,900£85£256£1,024
High (75th percentile)4,300£119£356£1,425

Below we see the total energy bills (gas + electric) for these three tiers of household energy consumption using the latest Energy Price Cap figures from 1 January to 31 March 2024. As you can see, the typical household will pay around £2,000 per year, but those with lower usage spend around £1,410 and those with higher usage spend close to £2,781. Keep in mind that some households (25% of households) will spend less than £1,410 and some households (25% of households) will spend more than £2,791 per year.

Total Estimated Energy Costs using 1 January EPCkWh usedPer MonthPer QuarterPer Year
Low (25th percentile)8,000 gas + 1,800 electricity£117£352£1,410

Medium (50th percentile)
12,000 gas + 2,900 electricity£168£505£2,020

High (75th percentile)
17,000 gas + 4,300 electricity£233£698£2,791
Column chart showing the average gas and electric bill UK per month and per quarter

Note: the above usage figures for the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles are based on this decision from Ofgem on the calculations for typical domestic consumption values.

Figures using 1 October 2023 Energy Price Cap

PREVIOUS DATA: Below are the figures using the 1 October 2023 Energy Price Cap. As you can see, household energy costs dropped 7% across the board in October 2023 (following a 17% drop from 1 July):

Estimated Energy Costs using 1 October EPCkWh usedPer MonthPer QuarterPer Year
GasLow (25th percentile)8,000£63£188£753
Medium (50th percentile)12,000£86£258£1,033
High (75th percentile)17,000£115£346£1,383
ElectricityLow (25th percentile)1,800£50£149£596
Medium (50th percentile)2,900£74£223£893
High (75th percentile)4,300£106£318£1,271
TotalLow (25th percentile)8,000 gas + 1,800 electricity£112£337£1,349
Medium (50th percentile)12,000 gas + 2,900 electricity£160£481£1,926
High (75th percentile)17,000 gas + 4,300 electricity£221£663£2,654

Save money on your bills with cheap home insurance just for you.

Quickly compare dozens of insurance providers. You could save up to £151.*

{"applyCallToAction":"Show my quote","defaultSelectedItem":"home","description":"Quickly compare dozens of insurance providers. You could save up to \u00a3151.*","formType":"Insurance","onCurrent":true,"options":[{"label":"Car Insurance","url":"https:\/\/quote.nimblefins.co.uk\/car-insurance?id=76f4ecd6e1ca7c2f442633593566fdaa","value":"car"},{"label":"Home Insurance","url":"https:\/\/quote.nimblefins.co.uk\/home-insurance?id=76f4ecd6e1ca7c2f442633593566fdaa","value":"home"},{"label":"Motorbike Insurance","url":"https:\/\/quote.nimblefins.co.uk\/bike-insurance?id=76f4ecd6e1ca7c2f442633593566fdaa","value":"motorbike"},{"label":"Pet Insurance","url":"https:\/\/quote.nimblefins.co.uk\/pet-insurance?id=76f4ecd6e1ca7c2f442633593566fdaa","value":"pet"},{"label":"Travel Insurance","url":"https:\/\/quote.nimblefins.co.uk\/travel-insurance?id=76f4ecd6e1ca7c2f442633593566fdaa","value":"travel"}],"title":"Save money on your bills with cheap home insurance just for you."}

Are You Paying Too Much for Gas and Electricity?

Most people know that they might save money by switching energy suppliers, but did you also know that you can save money by changing the way you pay your gas and electric bills? In 2022 and 2023, those paying on credit paid the highest energy bills. In this case, "credit" means you receive a bill (e.g., every 3 months), which you then pay by bank transfer, credit/debit card, with cash, through the post office or your bank, etc. By simply switching to direct debit payments, these households could potentially save over 5% on energy bills per year.

UK Gas and Electricity Bills by Payment TypeGasElectricTotal Energy
Credit£1,064£1,092£2,156

Direct Debit
£996£1,024£2,020

Prepayment
£1,011£1,038£2,049

The figures above reflect median usage of 2,900 kWh of electricity and 12,000 kWh of gas on an annual basis and the EPC for 1 January to 31 March 2024.

How Much do You Pay for Gas and Electricity, by UK Region

Households spend different amounts to provide energy to light and heat their homes, charge their phones and run their appliances depending on where they live in the UK.

Those living in Merseyside & North Wales pay the most of any region in the UK for total gas and electric while households in the East and East Midlands now spent the least on energy, according to the 1 January Energy Price Cap. Here's what we calculate for median usage (i.e. 2,900 kWh of electricity and 12,000 kWh of gas on an annualised basis), assuming direct debit payments:

Average Monthly UK Gas & Electric Bills by UK RegionGasElectricityTotal Energy Bill, per month
North West£83£84£168
Northern£82£85£167
Yorkshire£83£84£167
Northern Scotland£83£87£170
Southern£84£85£169
Southern Scotland£83£87£170
N Wales and Mersey£84£90£174
London£83£84£167
South East£83£85£169
Eastern£82£84£166
East Midlands£82£83£165
Midlands£82£84£167
Southern Western£85£87£172
South Wales£85£86£171
GB average£83£85£169

Figures in the table above include standing charges; figures are inclusive of VAT.

How to Save Money on Gas and Electric Bills

In order to save money on your gas and electricity bills, you might want to price check for the best deal on a comparison site (which you can do below) and consider paying by direct debit instead of credit. Plus you can try some of our tips on How to Save Money without Switching Energy Suppliers. Whether you are a Pay As You Go customer or have a credit meter, be sure to learn how to read your electric bill, so you're familiar enough with it to spot any errors.


Cheapest car insurance providers RANKED

  • Save money with our rundown of the cheapest and best providers, updated weekly

Tell me more

Comments

NimbleFins Newsletter

Get energy alerts, deals, tips, news, and more!