How much electricity does the average home use?
General information, not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.
Short answer: In 2022, the average U.S. residential utility customer purchased 10,791 kilowatt-hours, or about 899 kWh per month (EIA FAQ 97). That is the latest year on EIA's standing FAQ page as of this writing.
The national and state figures
- U.S. average, 2022: 10,791 kWh per residential customer per year, about 899 kWh per month (EIA FAQ 97).
- Highest state average: Louisiana, 14,774 kWh per customer per year (EIA FAQ 97).
- Lowest state average: Hawaii, 6,178 kWh per customer per year (EIA FAQ 97).
EIA describes these as electricity sold to residential customers, not total consumption, so a home that generates part of its own power from rooftop solar would show less than it actually uses (EIA FAQ 97). The page names EIA's Electric Sales, Revenue, and Average Price report and the 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey as sources for its other comparisons (EIA FAQ 97).
What uses the most
EIA's appliance-level breakdown comes from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey, which we did not open for this page, so we do not give end-use percentages here. What EIA's pricing page does say is that extreme temperatures raise demand, prices are usually highest in summer, and demand peaks in the afternoon and early evening (EIA, prices and factors). Cooling and heating are the usage that swings most with weather, which is why the Louisiana and Hawaii extremes above bracket the national figure.
What that costs
At the 2025 average residential price of 17.30 cents per kWh (EIA), the 2022 average usage of 899 kWh a month works out to about $155 a month, our arithmetic. The two inputs are from different years, so treat it as a rough benchmark.
How to find your own number
Your bill lists kWh used for the billing period, and most utilities and Texas retail providers also show twelve months of history in the online account. Compare your monthly kWh with the 899-kWh average and your state's figure, then check whether the difference is seasonal or year-round.
Related
See rooftop solar and net metering by state, how long solar panels last, and outage history by county and ZIP.
Related questions
General information from the sources linked above, not legal, tax, or financial advice.
Sources and helpful links
- EIA FAQ 97 eia.gov
- EIA, prices and factors eia.gov
More official contacts and resources: Helpful links.