If you've looked at your energy bill and found your annual usage, the next question may be:

Is that a lot of energy?

A figure such as 2,500 kWh of electricity or 9,500 kWh of gas doesn't mean much on its own.

Ofgem publishes typical domestic consumption values that provide a useful benchmark. But they aren't targets for how much energy your household should use.

Your property, heating system, number of occupants and everyday habits can all make a substantial difference.

And when you're comparing energy tariffs, there's something more important than whether your usage is above or below average:

using your own consumption figures to make the comparison.

What is typical household energy usage in the UK?

Ofgem updated its Typical Domestic Consumption Values (TDCVs) from 1 July 2026 after finding that household energy consumption had fallen since its previous review. Ofgem

For a household with a standard single-rate electricity meter, the current annual benchmarks are:

For multi-rate electricity meters, such as Economy 7, Ofgem uses different figures: 1,900 kWh for low consumption, 3,400 kWh for medium and 6,100 kWh for high consumption. Ofgem

These figures are useful for context.

They are not a definition of what your household ought to consume.

Why has the typical figure changed?

Ofgem's previous medium-consumption benchmark was 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas.

The new figures are 2,500 kWh and 9,500 kWh respectively. Ofgem says households are using around 7% less electricity and 17% less gas than at its previous review, citing factors including improved energy efficiency, warmer weather and higher energy prices. Ofgem

This is worth remembering when comparing your usage with figures you find online.

An article or calculator using older assumptions may tell you that your consumption is "average" based on a benchmark that Ofgem has since changed.

Does using more than average mean my energy usage is too high?

Not necessarily.

Imagine two households both using 4,000 kWh of electricity a year.

One is a small gas-heated flat occupied by one person.

The other is a larger all-electric home occupied by a family.

The number is identical, but what it tells us about the two households is very different.

Energy consumption can be affected by factors including:

• the size and energy efficiency of the property

• how many people live there

• whether heating and hot water use gas or electricity

• how much time people spend at home

• electric vehicle charging

• electric showers, tumble dryers and other higher-consumption appliances

• whether you have a single-rate or time-of-use electricity tariff.

That's why a national benchmark is best treated as a reference point rather than a target.

Your Direct Debit doesn't tell you how much energy you use

This distinction is particularly important.

Suppose your energy supplier takes £150 a month by Direct Debit.

That does not mean you are using £150 of energy every month.

A Direct Debit is a payment arrangement. Suppliers can spread estimated annual costs across the year, and your account can move into credit or debit as actual consumption changes.

Your kWh consumption tells you how much energy you've actually used.

So if you're trying to answer:

"Is my energy usage high?"

look for your annual electricity and gas consumption in kWh, rather than simply looking at your monthly payment.

Gas and electricity should be considered separately

A household can have relatively low electricity consumption and relatively high gas consumption, or the other way around.

For example, a gas-heated property may use much more gas in winter while electricity consumption remains comparatively stable.

An all-electric home may have no gas consumption at all but considerably higher electricity usage.

Combining everything into a single monthly bill figure can hide those differences.

For tariff comparisons, it is therefore useful to know:

Annual electricity usage: ____ kWh

Annual gas usage: ____ kWh

If you have an Economy 7 or another multi-rate tariff, you may also need to know how your electricity consumption is divided between different rate periods.

Why your actual usage matters when comparing tariffs

This is where knowing your consumption becomes particularly useful.

An energy tariff normally combines:

unit rates — what you pay for each kWh you use

and

standing charges — the daily charge you pay regardless of how much energy you consume.

That means two households can compare exactly the same two tariffs and reach different conclusions.

A lower unit rate may matter more to a high-usage household.

A lower standing charge may have proportionately more significance to someone who uses relatively little energy.

The sensible comparison is therefore not simply:

Which tariff advertises the lowest annual price?

It is:

What would each tariff cost using my consumption?

That's a like-for-like comparison.

A simple example

Imagine your annual electricity consumption is 3,500 kWh.

Tariff A charges:

• 25p per kWh

• 55p daily standing charge

Tariff B charges:

• 27p per kWh

• 40p daily standing charge.

Ignoring other tariff features for the moment:

Tariff A

3,500 × £0.25 = £875

365 × £0.55 = £200.75

Estimated annual cost: £1,075.75

Tariff B

3,500 × £0.27 = £945

365 × £0.40 = £146

Estimated annual cost: £1,091

Tariff B has the lower standing charge.

But for this particular level of consumption, Tariff A still produces the lower estimated annual cost.

Change the consumption and the difference between the tariffs changes too.

That's why your kWh figures matter.

Don't confuse "typical bill" with your bill

This is also important when you hear figures about the energy price cap.

Ofgem's headline price-cap figures use its Typical Domestic Consumption Values to illustrate what a household with that level of consumption might pay. The price cap itself limits rates rather than placing a maximum on the total amount a household can spend on energy.

From 1 October 2026, for example, Ofgem's headline annual figure for a typical dual-fuel Direct Debit household is £1,723, based on its updated consumption assumptions.

That doesn't mean every household's energy bill will be £1,723.

Use more energy and you can pay more.

Use less and you can pay less.

So, is your energy usage high?

Start by comparing your annual kWh figures with Ofgem's current benchmarks.

But don't treat being above the benchmark as proof that you're wasting energy, or being below it as proof that your tariff is good value.

They answer different questions.

Your consumption tells you how much energy you use.

Your tariff tells you what you pay for that energy.

And your Direct Debit tells you how the supplier is collecting the money.

Keeping those three things separate makes energy bills much easier to understand.

Most importantly, when you're deciding whether to stay with your existing tariff or consider another one, use your own annual consumption wherever possible.

Because the tariff that looks cheapest for a "typical household" isn't necessarily the tariff that's cheapest for your household.

Likewise Compare is being built to help you understand whether staying with your current energy deal or choosing another one makes more sense for your circumstances.

We'll compare the numbers clearly, using your actual energy usage where available — or the best reasonable estimate when it isn't — alongside the tariff details, so that staying and switching are treated as equally valid outcomes.

You don't need to decide to switch.
You only need to decide to check.

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