What's the Average Gas and Electric Bill for a 3 Bed House?
Nobody likes overpaying for their gas and electric but according to Ofgem's State of the Energy Market report 2018 consumers could save £320 a year by switching from a standard variable deal to a cheaper tariff1.
Only 19% of consumers switched energy supplier between July 2017 and June 2018 which means 81% of consumers did not switch and could potentially be paying less.
More than half of households are on their energy suppliers default tariff which means they are paying more than they need to. An energy suppliers default tariff is the most expensive tariff they offer, companies tend to penalise customers for their loyalty.
It's easy to pay less than the average for your energy
If you are asking how much the average gas and electricity bill is then you are concerned about overpaying on your energy and missing out on potential savings that others are enjoying. You will most likely be the household that is overpaying as you have not compared your current bill to find out how much you could actually be saving.
At Safe Energy Switch we monitor the cheapest energy prices of the average UK household so can say for certain that if you haven't switch in the last 12 months you are overpaying.
You can compare energy yourself to get an exact figure and see how much you could be saving by switching.
In March 2019 the cheapest energy tariff available was £883 from Utility Point, £601 cheaper than the most expensive tariff. In May 2020 the lowest cost gas and electricity tariff was £743 from Yorkshire Energy, a whole £708 less than the most expensive tariff.
There is something very important you should take away from this and that is over the course of just over a year the cost of the cheapest energy, that is the best deal available to you fell in cost by £140. It means that if you were on the best deal, about a year later you could switch and pay even less.
Now it's unlikely that you are on the best deal for your household which brings me to the next point. If you are paying the average you are paying too much. It's likely that if you are with one of the Big 6 energy companies you are being charged more than the average.
From 2015-2019 the average fuel bill in the UK increased by 40% - Rebel Energy
Our figures show that over the same time period where cheaper deals get cheaper the more expensive deals got pricier in comparison. Over the same period the difference in cost between the cheapest and most expensive energy grew by £107. That means if you hadn't been comparing and switching to a cheaper deal you would be paying more just by staying with the same energy provider.
It's even more beneficial to switch and save since the beginning of 2020 as many energy providers, especially the budget energy companies have introduced low cost 12 fixed priced deals without the usual early exit fees. Look out for the fee free deals as it means that if you decide to switch again before the end of the 12 months you are free to do so without penalty.
Get £50 for SwitchingSwitch to Octopus Energy and get £50 credit when you switch. |
What is an Average Sized UK House
According to LABC Warranty the typical home in the UK is a 3 bedroom house2. Since the 1970's homes have been steadily getting smaller and are now a typical 67.8 square metres down from 83.3 square metres in the seventies.
A modern home is better insulated and smaller than an older property but energy costs continually increase which is what concerns most consumers looking for a better energy deal.
How Much is the Average Gas and Electricity bill for a 3 Bedroomed House?
According to the energy regulator Ofgem the average dual fuel energy bill of a consumer with one of the Big 6 energy companies in the UK during 2017 was £1,1171.
Based on Ofgem's figures for the average UK energy tariff show that the average standard variable tariff is £1,042 and the average of the cheapest available tariffs is £933.
A 3 bedroom house is considered to be a medium energy usage household which means that based on Ofgems current figures for average energy usage means that a typical medium energy user consumes 12,000 kWh of Gas and 2,900 kWh of electricity. We use the older 3,100kWh electricity usage figures so when comparing energy deals the price changes are historically more accurate.
This means that you would typically be paying something in the region of £1,221 on one of the Big 6's standard variable tariffs and £1,117 on the overall average Big 6 dual fuel tariff. The second figure is slightly less as this includes the cheaper deals, the first figure is based on just the standard variable tariff which is always more expensive.
Average Electricity Bill for 3 Bedroom House
The average electric bill in the UK is £612 per year based on Ofgem's 2018 figures. The average electric bill per month is £51. These figures are based on the average price charged by the Big 6 energy suppliers who account for about three quarters of the UK domestic energy market.
A 3 bedroomed house uses 12,000 kWh of Gas and 3,100 kWh of electricity on average.
Average Electric Bill for a 3 Bed House
Whilst knowing the average electricity bill for a typical 3 bed home is a useful comparison for your own energy bills it is not going to give you any idea of if you are paying too much. Firstly it is unlikely you will be using the exact number of kWh of electricity as your neighbour and it's unlikely you will be with the same supplier or on the same tariff.
A more useful comparison is to see what the average household should be paying if you were living in a 3 bed property.
Most people looking to switch to a cheaper deal will use an energy comparison service as and will usually choose one of the cheapest tariffs. The table below reflects the cost for the average 3 bedroom house (a typical home in the UK) and shows the prices you would pay for electricity based on April 2021 quotes.
Supplier | Tariff Name | Dual Fuel Year | Electricity Year | Electricity Monthly |
Avro Energy | Simple and eSuperPrime12M | £998.81 | £576.29 | £48.02 |
Ovo Energy | Better Smart | £999.00 | £573.36 | £47.78 |
Pure Planet | 100% Green 12m Fixed Mar21 v2 | £1,001.48 | £567.26 | £47.27 |
Shell Energy | Energy May 2022 v3 | £1,006.93 | £595.79 | £49.65 |
British Gas Evolve | Energy Plus Home Protection v13 | £1,013.05 | £589.33 | £49.11 |
So for April 2021 you can expect to be paying around £40 to £49 a month for electricity based on the 5 cheapest switchable tariffs available on the energy comparison site Energy Helpline.
Annually the total cost for the cost of electricity as part of a typical dual fuel bill would come to £576 to £589.
If you are paying more than then should at least compare electricity prices or if you really can't be bothered with all the hassle or think it is too confusing or complicated then get one of the automatic energy comparison and switching sites to do it for you by using Switchd or Look After My Bills.
Average Gas Bill for a 3 Bed House
One of the things you will notice when looking at average energy bills is that the amount of money the average UK 3 bed household spends on gas is lower than what they spend on electricity.
It's important to point out however that when it comes to gas usage the average doesn't really give you a good comparison of your household against others. Gas heating costs can vary greatly depending on how frugal or not you are with the heating.
The table below shows the cost of gas based on prices for April 2021.
Supplier | Tariff Name | Dual Fuel Year | Gas Year | Gas Monthly |
Avro Energy | Simple and eSuperPrime12M | £998.81 | £422.52 | £35.21 |
Ovo Energy | Better Smart | £999.00 | £425.64 | £35.47 |
Pure Planet | 100% Green 12m Fixed Mar21 v2 | £1,001.48 | £434.22 | £36.18 |
Shell Energy | Energy May 2022 v3 | £1,006.93 | £411.14 | £34.26 |
British Gas Evolve | Energy Plus Home Protection v13 | £1,013.05 | £423.72 | £35.31 |
The cost of the gas portion of a typical dual fuel energy bill is around £34 to £36 based on our comparison of the 5 cheapest switchable tariffs on offer from Energy Helpline.
Over a year that totals to around £411 to £434 for the annual cost of gas for the average UK household.
Average cheap dual fuel deals over time
At Safe Energy Switch the best energy deals are regularly published showing the cheapest energy prices in the UK available to you right now. Based on the data we have collected we have been able to calculate an average monthly dual fuel price for the average household.
The table below shows the average price of the ten cheapest deals available each month starting from March 2020. You can see from the figures that from March 2020 to January 2021 the average cost of the best priced gas and electricity deals has increased by about £9 a month from £65.51 to £74.64.
It shows that over time energy bills do increase, these are the absolute cheapest tariffs so the increase in price for the rest of the market will be higher. However this gives you a good indication of by how much prices are increasing over time.
Month | Average Price |
March 2020 | £65.51 |
April 2020 | £65.33 |
May 2020 | £65.75 |
June 2020 | £66.54 |
July 2020 | £67.52 |
August 2020 | £68.73 |
September 2020 | £69.33 |
October 2020 | £72.37 |
November 2020 | £72.24 |
December 2020 | £71.26 |
January 2021 | £74.64 |
February 2021 | £79.14 |
March 2021 | £79.07 |
April 2021 | £76.71 |
Average gas and electric bill per month
Whilst a figure for the average gas and electricity bill per month may be useful as a guideline to give you an idea if you are paying too much it will not be a figure to accurately represent your circumstances.
You should consider the fact that everyone uses gas differently, some households have their heating on for more hours than others so will use more gas and therefore pay a larger monthly bill. Modern houses tend to have more modern boilers and better insulation so they will not need to use as much gas to heat a similar sized 3 bedroom home.
If you do think you might be overpaying or are just want to cut the cost of your gas bill then take a look at these cheap energy deals.
Are you Paying Too Much for your Dual Fuel for a 3 Bed House?
Below is the current cheapest energy deal if you have a 3 bedroom home with medium dual fuel energy usage. Remember, these figure are averages and are typical of many UK households but may not directly reflect your personal circumstances.
You may be a 3 bed household where the house remains empty during the day meaning you would be using much less energy. Conversely the house could be occupied all day and therefore more fuel for heating and electricity for appliances is being used and therefore your usage is much higher than average.
It is important to get a quote based on your actual usage by either using the gas and electric kWh figures provided by your current supplier or by using your monthly direct debit cost or annual total energy cost to compare to find a cheaper priced energy deal.
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References
‣ https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/state-energy-market-20181
‣ https://www.labcwarranty.co.uk/blog/are-britain-s-houses-getting-smaller-new-data/2