Average Gas and Electric Bill per UK Household

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.)

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):

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.

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):

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.

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:

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.