How much is the average gas and electricity bill per month?

The average annual energy bill for 2023 is £1,834 or £153 a month. This is based on ‘typical use’ in a household that uses gas and electricity.

Ofgem calculates this average billOpens in a new window based on a medium sized home with 2-3 people living there.

The cost of your own bill will depend on the type of property you live in, where you live, the heating system that you have, the energy efficiency of the property, the number of people living there and your personal usage. 

For people on the Ofgem price cap average gas billsOpens in a new window type to be: 

• Flat or 1-bedroom house: £625 per year, or £52.08 per month 
• 3-bedroom house: £901 per year, or £75.08 per month 
• 5-bedroom house: £1,280 per year, or £106.66 per month 

These numbers are based on the average annual gas use for those household sizes. 

The average annual gas bill for 2022 (Opens in a new window) was £1272, or £106 each month based on government statisticsOpens in a new window from an annual use of 13,600 kWh/year. 

The government has not published its estimates for 2023 but British Gas estimated average electricity billsOpens in a new window by household type to be:

• Flat or 1-bedroom house: £687 per year, or £57.25 per month

• 3-bedroom house: £933 per year, or £77.75 per month

• 5-bedroom house: £1,316 per year, or £109.66 per month

These numbers are based on the average annual electricity use for those household sizes.

The average electricity bill for 2022 was £1105 or £92 a month, according to government figuresOpens in a new window However, this doesn’t include the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) payment that was applied between October 2022 and March 2023.

Your bill could be lower or higher than this amount, even if you’re paying the price cap at the moment, as it will depend on your individual usage.

Find out more in our guide What to do about rising energy bills.

The Ofgem price cap is now around £2,000 a year, although in 2022 it was as high as £2,500. Fixed deals are still not as common as they used to be, and some fixed deals are very similar to the price cap. Energy prices are still high in 2023 due to supply and demand on the global wholesale market. 

This demand has driven up the amount providers pay for gas and electricity and that cost is now being passed onto the consumer. 

The energy price cap only affects you if you live in England, Wales or Scotland.  

In Northern Ireland, energy prices are governed by the Utility Regulator. You can find out more about the help available with paying your energy bills(Opens in a new window) on the Consumer Council website. 

Your gas and electricity bills are not just the cost of the energy you have used. In fact, your energy bill is made up of lots of different costs.

The wholesale price of the gas and electricity (the amount it costs your energy supplier to buy it) makes up just over a third of your energy bill.

Networking, or the amount it costs to use and maintain the pipes and wires used to get the gas and electricity to your home, accounts for just over a quarter of your bill.

Operating costs, which are the expenses the energy company has to cover, also make up a proportion of your bill. 

Energy companies are also included in a number of government-backed programmes to save energy and reduce emissions. The cost of these is passed on to users and adds a percentage to energy bills.

VAT (Value Added Tax), profit margins and other costs make up the remainder of your energy bill.

Now you know the average gas and electricity bill across the UK and what makes up your bill, you might be thinking about how you can save energy and cut your bills.

Luckily there are a lot of ways to do this without even switching supplier. If you want to save on your energy bills, you can start by being sensible about using your heating and lights.

Insulation is also very important, helping to keep homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. If you don’t have decent insulation or double glazing, then you’re obviously going to have to spend some money to save. 

If you are thinking of selling your home, you may wish to improve your EPC certificate rating.  This may help you sell your home more quickly and may increase its overall value. 

Energy Saving Trust have a guide to Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs(Opens in a new window) which has with useful tips on how to make improvements to keeping your home warm and save you money. 

Using your appliances on eco mode can help you use less energy. If you wear extra clothes or use hot water bottles or electric blankets to keep yourself warm, you might be able to save money on heating your home.

Unusually, at the moment you won’t save much money by switching suppliers. The fixed rate tariffs that are on offer are about the same price as the Ofgem price cap you’d pay on a variable rate tariff. 

Some suppliers are offering discounts for using energy at off-peak times or at certain times of the week. Check your energy company’s website to see if you can take part in something like this. 

It can be very stressful if you are struggling with your energy bills.  You may be worried about getting into debt and unsure how you will manage to afford to heat or power your home. 

Continuing to pay your bills is important, so get in touch with your supplier before you miss a payment or get into debt.  There are lots of ways that your supplier can help including working out a payment plan that works for you.