The Average Electric Bill for a Three-Bedroom House

The Average Electric Bill for a Three-Bedroom House

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What’s the Average Electric Bill for a 3 Bedroom House?

By homesolarsessions | Aug 16, 2023

The average electric bill for a 3-bedroom house — or any house, for that matter — has increased substantially over the last few years several years due to rising utility rates and extreme weather events requiring more electricity for heating and cooling. With this rather sudden upward shift in electricity costs, it’s only natural to wonder if your higher electricity bill is on par with your peers. So, we used the latest data from the Energy Information Administration to determine the average electricity bill for homeowners in each region of the US based on their home size and number of bedrooms. Use the links below to jump to a section:

What’s the average electricity bill for a 3-bedroom house?

In 2023, the average electric bill for a 3-bedroom house is $155.61 per month nationwide and ranges from $91 in Utah to over $300 in Hawaii. This is based on the latest household consumption data for homes between 1,500 and 2,499 square feet from the EIA and utility rates as of May 2023. Click or hover on a state in the map below to see the average electricity bill for a 3-bedroom household.

How much electricity does a 3-bedroom house use per day?

The average US home with 3 bedrooms uses 32 kWh of electricity per day or around 966 kWh per month. However, this figure ranges from 19 kWh per day in California to 44 kWh per day in Louisiana. As shown in the map below, electricity usage is heavily tied to climate conditions. For example, Southern states use a lot of electricity to power air conditioning during the long, hot summers. Meanwhile, coastal states in the West and Northeast with more moderate climates tend to use less electricity, especially if they use gas-powered furnaces for heat during the winter. Using the latest household electricity consumption from the EIA, we found that 3-bedroom homes (homes with 1,500 to 2,499 square feet) use, on average, 9.7% more electricity than the average household. So, if the average household uses 29 kWh per day, then a 3-bedroom household can be expected to use 32 kWh per day. It’s worth noting that electricity usage is not necessarily tied to home size — either square footage or the number of bedrooms. For example, a 3,000-square-foot house in California may very likely use less electricity than a 2,000-square-foot in Louisiana, simply based on climate conditions and air conditioning usage alone. There are also wildcards like EVs and heat pumps that can cause electricity usage to skyrocket — which isn’t a bad thing if it’s used to replace less efficient fossil fuel systems.

Average electric bill per square footage

On average, heating and cooling alone make up over 30% of household electricity consumption, and more square footage means more space to heat and cool throughout the year. So, larger homes tend to have higher electricity bills than smaller homes, as shown in the chart below. For example, the average electric bill for a 1,200-square-foot house is around $126 per month, which is $50 less than the average electric bill for a 2,500-2,999 square-foot house. On average, the monthly electricity bill increases by $16 per 1,000 square feet of living space — which adds up to $192 throughout the year. It’s worth noting (again) that electricity consumption and utility rates vary from home to home, so these are not hard-and-fast rules. Just observations based on national averages!

Take control of your electricity costs. While many homeowners are under the impression that the only way to reduce their electricity costs is to reduce consumption. However, home solar allows you to control the price you pay for electricity without necessarily slashing your usage. Connect with an Energy Advisor to see if solar makes sense for your home!

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