The average electricity bill for a one-bedroom in the U.S. ranges from $60-$66 depending on whether one person or two people live in the apartment. Two-bedroom apartments are slightly more expensive, coming in at around $76 dollars.
California: Expect to pay between $90 and $120 for a 1-bedroom apartment, with prices typically being higher in urban areas like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The most common contributing factors are outdated appliances, thermostats, lightbulbs, or insufficient insulation. Here's what you can do to help reduce your household energy usage.
Electricity usage in apartments can vary based on several factors, like the number of residents and the efficiency of appliances. On average, a 1-bedroom apartment uses about 750 kWh of electricity per month, while a 2-bedroom apartment typically uses between 700 to 1,000 kWh monthly.
In most cases, you'll need to pay utility bills when renting an apartment. These could include bills for electricity, gas, water and trash service. The specific utility bills you'll pay will depend on where you live and what services are offered.
Your heating, ventilation and air conditioning system likely uses the most electricity at home. The EIA tells us that space heating and cooling accounts for slightly over 30% of residential energy usage. These appliances run frequently, and many factors can affect their efficiency, like drafts and poor insulation.
The average cost of utilities across the U.S. for a renter is about $240—not including cable, internet or streaming. Add those in and you could easily go over $300 or even $400 per month. Electricity is typically the most expensive of your utilities, costing the average home around $114-$117 per month.
Apartments vs Houses
The data shows that the biggest disparity in energy efficiency was between apartments and houses. There are a number of reasons for this, but the smaller living spaces of apartments results in less energy is required to heat or cool the space.
In most cases, the electric bill for an apartment will likely be the largest portion of your total utilities.
What costs the most on your electric bill? Heating and cooling are by far the greatest energy users in the home, making up around 40% of your electric bill. Other big users are washers, dryers, ovens, and stoves. Electronic devices like laptops and TVs are usually pretty cheap to run, but of course, it can all add up.
Most definitely, if you use your AC regularly, then it is one of the major factors that impact your power bill.
So, before signing the lease, ask your landlord whether the water bill is included in rent. If it's paid separately, then you're looking at an average water bill of about $46 monthly — and, again, depending on where you live, this price can change.
The average monthly home heating oil bill is $154.92. Your average monthly propane bill will run about $134.86, again, with considerable variation by location, provider and the heating efficiency of your home.
A household consisting of two people can have an annual consumption ranging from 2,000 to 2,700 kWh. This averages to around 5.5/7 kWh per day, totaling approximately 187.5 kWh per month. This is double the energy consumption of a person living alone with their 1,100 kWh.
The 30% guideline is one way to look at rent as part of your income. You can also use the 50/30/20 budget as a guide to figure out how much you can afford to spend on rent. This method allocates your take-home pay (after taxes) to 50% for needs, 30% for wants and 20% for savings and additional debt payments.
How Much Electricity Does a Ceiling Fan Use? Ceiling fans come in a variety of wattages, but a standard 48-inch model uses about 75 watts per hour on average. This would cost you about $0.01 per hour, or $6 per month if you leave your ceiling fan on 24/7 all month.
Old windows and drafty attic spaces with air leaks are common culprits behind unusually high electric bills. Invest in new energy-efficient windows with better seals and glass, and make sure attic and basement spaces have proper insulation. The investment today will save you money on your bill down the road.
HEATING AND COOLING USE THE MOST ELECTRICITY IN AN APARTMENT
To reduce your apartment utility bill by saving on air conditioning, you can: Ensuring all vents are clean and clear of obstacles. Ask your leasing agent how often air filters are replaced in your apartment.
The biggest source of energy use in your home is your heating and cooling system. Whether you're using your air conditioner in summer or your furnace in winter, this makes up the biggest expense on your electricity bill. In fact, heating and cooling account for close to half of an average household's energy usage.
Ceiling fans, tower fans, and box fans typically range from 40 to 100 watts of power when operating at full speed. This amount of electricity is not very much, especially compared to the other appliances and electronics in your home. At its lowest setting, a fan may only use about 10 to 30 watts.