Electricity Usage (kWh) per Home and by Appliance Systems
Average Electricity Usage per Home
The following is a list of average energy consumption (electricity usage) per home (averaged for each state). And a list of average electricity usage from appliances and systems within the home.
Awhile ago, a nearby acquaintance was building a rural home. The home was a distance away from the nearest electric utility lines. This person was considering an alternative energy source (solar). One reason for that consideration was the cost of the utility company to bring power up a new private road. Not cheap!
This got me to thinking about the average electricity usage per home. Sure, it varies. Home sizes. Regional consumption differences due to weather, and other factors.
Especially when considering or designing a solar powered home, It’s good to know the average electricity usage.
I wanted to get a bit more specific, so I searched for home energy consumption data per state. More specifically, the kWh (kilowatt hours) consumed per day.
This number will also relate to the size of a battery bank (and the cost thereof) to store enough energy.
That said, there are lots of additional variables beyond just the average home energy consumption. For example, an off-grid home will utilize appliances that run on LP (propane) gas. Examples include the heating system. Cooking stove / range. The hot water heater. Clothes washer and dryer. This will reduce electricity usage requirements!
National Average Energy Consumption Per Home
The average home (among all states) consumes about 900 kWh per month. Or about 30 kWh per day. Data sets will vary a bit. But this is reasonably close.
The state with the least energy consumption per home is Hawaii (515 kWh/mo.). ( 17 kWh/day).
The state with the most average energy consumption per home is Louisiana (1273 kWh/mo.). ( 42 kWh/day).
List of energy usage per home per state
Alphabetical
| State | kWh/mo. | kWh/day |
| Alabama | 1211 | 40 |
| Alaska | 632 | 21 |
| Arizona | 1049 | 35 |
| Arkansas | 1133 | 38 |
| California | 557 | 19 |
| Colorado | 723 | 24 |
| Connecticut | 752 | 25 |
| Delaware | 944 | 31 |
| Florida | 1078 | 36 |
| Georgia | 1088 | 36 |
| Hawaii | 515 | 17 |
| Idaho | 1055 | 35 |
| Illinois | 755 | 25 |
| Indiana | 1005 | 34 |
| Iowa | 908 | 30 |
| Kansas | 926 | 31 |
| Kentucky | 1154 | 38 |
| Louisiana | 1273 | 42 |
| Maine | 551 | 18 |
| Maryland | 1031 | 34 |
| Massachusetts | 638 | 21 |
| Michigan | 665 | 22 |
| Minnesota | 817 | 27 |
| Mississippi | 1220 | 41 |
| Missouri | 1086 | 36 |
| Montana | 860 | 29 |
| Nebraska | 1034 | 34 |
| Nevada | 924 | 31 |
| New Hampshire | 629 | 21 |
| New Jersey | 687 | 23 |
| New Mexico | 655 | 22 |
| New York | 602 | 20 |
| North Carolina | 1098 | 37 |
| North Dakota | 1205 | 40 |
| Ohio | 892 | 30 |
| Oklahoma | 1142 | 38 |
| Oregon | 976 | 33 |
| Pennsylvania | 857 | 29 |
| Rhode Island | 602 | 20 |
| South Carolina | 1124 | 37 |
| South Dakota | 1055 | 35 |
| Tennessee | 1245 | 42 |
| Texas | 1174 | 39 |
| Utah | 798 | 27 |
| Vermont | 569 | 19 |
| Virginia | 1156 | 39 |
| Washington | 1041 | 35 |
| West Virginia | 1118 | 37 |
| Wisconsin | 703 | 23 |
| Wyoming | 894 | 30 |
I sourced this data from from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Okay, so now we know the average electricity usage per home. But where does it all go? Which appliances and systems use the most electricity? Can that be mitigated?
So that led me to search for more data. Detailed household site electricity end-use consumption.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Consumption and Efficiency Statistics, 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (apparently the most recent available).
I gleaned their statistics and built a simple chart. Here it is:
Average Electricity Usage per Appliance or System from All Homes in the U.S.
kWh (billions)
| kWh | System |
| 214 | Air conditioning |
| 187 | Space heating |
| 173 | Water heating |
| 131 | Lighting |
| 89 | Refrigerators |
| 87 | TVs and related |
| 57 | Clothes dryers |
| 23 | Ceiling fans |
| 21 | Separate freezers |
| 18 | Cooking Stoves – Ovens |
| 15 | Dehumidifiers |
| 14 | Microwaves |
| 12 | Pool pumps |
| 8 | Humidifiers |
| 7 | Dishwashers |
| 7 | Hot tub heaters and pumps |
| 6 | Clothes washers |
Wow. That’s pretty interesting, right? The top three make up a bit more than half of all electricity usage in the home. Air conditioning. Heating. Water heaters.
Building Off-Grid? Like I said earlier, you can reduce your electricity usage with LP (propane) appliance systems. That’s how my home is set up.
The following Solar Charger / Inverter system will easily power such a home:
[ Read: The Four Essentials of Off Grid Solar ]
[ Read: Grid-Tied Solar Systems Don’t Work So Well When The Grid Is Down ]
good info Ken, thanks.
i have a small solar set up for emergencies, mostly lights, but not enough to power an electric stove or water heater for any length of time. i have a generator but it’s for the deep freezers.
i have thought about propane but it’s not cheap in my area and its not inexhaustible. i’m going to have to invest some money in upgrades on my solar system. i wish that i could buy some of those Iron Edison batteries, but wow, they are not cheap. but i guess you get what you pay for.
thanks again
I have a similar situation. We have 700 watts of solar going into two separate battery systems. We use it to run all if our lighting and electronics. I can quickly switch our refrigerator over to solar power but it really pushes the batteries on cloudy days so I only do that when the grid is down. We don’t have a generator… yet. I do have a propane range in a stand alone canning kitchen in the garden we can use when the power is out. In the house I can bring out a Coleman LP camping stove with a 40 pound tank for basic cooking. A woodstove heats the house with a ventless LP fireplace and 2 kerosene heaters for backup heat. As we are in hot and humid Arkansas- summer without AC might finish off my transplanted Yankee bride- but we do have several fans that even our small solar system can power easily.
My preps since 2008 have been aimed at surviving fixed income retirement with cash quickly losing value. I’ve been retired for one year… and did I call it or what!?!
MarkInArk,
enjoyed your post.
that’s what sustainability is all about- living well within your own means.
good luck with everything.
In rural America, one would have to look at solar/wind. As noted, the cost of bringing electric to an isolated area is high. Hydro-electric would seem the best of all, if there is a constant flow. I’m not starting over at this point, but solar/wind is a part of my system. I’ve never put a pencil to it, but new home construction ??? Exact location of home would need to consider alternative power sources.
Even close to major power systems, going full solar can be cheaper than connecting to the grid. Have a friend north of Lost Wages, Nv who needed to have the grid extended 1400′ to his new place ( 4 poles, 1400′ of lines, and switch gear). He was quoted close to $60k by the local utility. He can put in a full blown solar system with lithium batteries to meet all his electrical needs (desert, so lots of ac) for less than $40k. You can guess which way he went. Why would he pay $20k more so he could be charged for electricity? Besides, now he will be stand alone, not connected to a vulnerable, antiquated grid.
Interesting. Guess each state different. Our local co-op will run first 1/8 mile free, w transformer. Hookup under $500. Monthly service charge $40 ish. $0.11/kW avg. But, their electrons are more special than our as we only get $0.025 on push back. Is what it is, but do not regret the investment in the solar nor the geothermal. Better for my wallet and for the future,. Mantra has always been, leave it better than the way you found it.
awesome article, Ken! this is some very useful information.
Ken, thanks for posting energy consumption by state.
Glad it’s useful. My own home runs below my state’s average electricity consumption per home. But that’s because I have many LP propane appliances (and furnace). Plus, I live in a region that doesn’t require air conditioning so much! Well, maybe require is not the right word – we all used to live without it way back in the day… But it sure would be yucky without A/C!
Reminds me of a family road trip from Massachusetts to Tennessee in a Pontiac 2-door coop when I was a kid. The only air conditioning we had was the 70/2 model. 70 miles an hour with 2 windows down! OMG that was hot & humid!
Ken J.
i wish they would bring back wing windows on cars and trucks. open them up all the way and at 80 MPH, you could clean out the inside of a vehicle. didn’t need A/C.
I agree! Cruising warm summer nights in my 1972 VW with the wing windows blowing fresh air over my face was a favorite time. Body shops could create a niche market retrofitting modern cars to your idea.
Thanks for the handy chart on electrical usage. We are in Washington and use about half of the average KW hours per month. We do have a propane range and a clothesline to keep our bill reasonable.
I think a lot of one’s electricity usage depends on climate zone. A/C all the time? Heating systems half the year (or more!)? I believe Washington state has a fairly tempered climate in that regard – in general.
Anyway, now you know you’re not an energy hog! (grin)