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What Uses the Most Electricity in a Home?

Survey: RECS 2020 · Prices: June 2026 · Updated August 29, 2026

In the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, space cooling ranks first at 25.5% of household site electricity, followed by space heating at 14.5% and water heating at 12.0%. The cooling and heating groups are Energy Factbook categories derived from the named RECS end-use estimates.

Space cooling25.5%Space heating14.5%Water heating12.0%Refrigerators7.9%Lighting6.2%TVs and related5.8%Laundry4.8%Cooking2.8%Pools and hot tubs2.2%Separate freezers1.8%Dishwashers0.7%Electric vehicle charging0.2%Everything else15.6%

National end-use ranking

The table allocates the RECS 2020 total of 1,305 billion kWh across 123.53 million occupied homes. That denominator gives a derived 10,564 kWh per home per year. The dollar column values those averages at the June 2026 U.S. residential average effective price of 18.34¢/kWh.

End useShareDerived annual kWh/homeRetail-value allocation per month
Space cooling
Air conditioning, Air handlers for cooling, Ceiling fans, Dehumidifiers		 25.5% 2,692 $41.14
Space heating
Space heating, Air handlers for heating, Humidifiers		 14.5% 1,527 $23.34
Water heating
Water heating		 12.0% 1,264 $19.32
Refrigerators
All refrigerators		 7.9% 835 $12.76
Lighting
Lighting		 6.2% 654 $10.00
TVs and related
All TVs and related		 5.8% 613 $9.37
Laundry
Clothes washers, Clothes dryers		 4.8% 510 $7.79
Cooking
Cooking, Microwaves		 2.8% 291 $4.45
Pools and hot tubs
Pool pumps, Hot tub pumps, Hot tub heaters		 2.2% 233 $3.56
Separate freezers
Separate freezers		 1.8% 189 $2.89
Dishwashers
Dishwashers		 0.7% 78 $1.19
Electric vehicle charging
Electric vehicle charging		 0.2% 26 $0.40
Everything else
CE2.1 total electricity less all mapped CE5.1a and CE5.1b columns		 15.6% 1,652 $25.25

These dollars are a retail-value allocation at one stated average price, not measured bill lines. RECS site consumption includes electricity supplied by on-site solar. An average effective price cannot estimate the marginal savings from switching one appliance off.

Reprice the table for where you live

Start with a ZIP code. When a ZIP has more than one candidate, choose the provider shown on your bill. Only a Bundled entry with a current residential average effective price can reprice the table; delivery-only and energy-only records omit part of the bill.

ZIP and provider
    State fallback
    Your bill's effective rate

    Both values must be positive and finite. Exclude prior balances, payments, deposits and late fees; including them makes charges divided by kWh meaningless.

    National table: 18.34¢/kWh average effective price for June 2026.

    Static worked example: ZIP 30234

    The committed NREL/OpenEI 2024 ZIP crosswalk returns every candidate below. The live build joins candidates to June 2026 EIA-861M prices; it does not silently take the first entry.

    Choosing Georgia Power Co reprices the leading categories:

    End useMonthly retail-value allocation at 18.80¢/kWh
    Space cooling$42.17
    Space heating$23.92
    Water heating$19.80

    Why this is not an hourly appliance-cost table

    An appliance's hourly cost depends on that unit's wattage, not its share of national household electricity use. Check the unit's nameplate and its Federal Trade Commission EnergyGuide label. This page intentionally supplies no generic wattage or per-hour estimate.

    Data vintage and method

    RECS 2020 is EIA's latest published end-use survey. EIA says the 2024 consumption-and-expenditures tables are due in spring 2027. Energy Factbook collapses the exact component columns printed under each category, retains the residual as “Everything else,” and reconciles them to CE2.1 rather than distributing the residual.

    Trying to diagnose a change in your bill? Use the bill-change checker, then see how to read its line items. For current state comparisons, return to electricity rates.

    Frequently asked questions

    Does the national ranking describe my particular home?

    No. EIA's 2020 RECS estimates a national all-home average. Climate, fuels, equipment and household behavior can change the order for one home.

    Is the ZIP utility price my tariff rate?

    No. It is an EIA average effective price, calculated as residential revenue divided by sales. It is not an individual tariff or a marginal savings estimate.

    Can this table calculate an appliance's hourly cost?

    No. Hourly cost depends on the particular unit's wattage. Check its nameplate and its EnergyGuide label; this page does not substitute a national-average end-use share for wattage.

    Sources