As the cost of living crisis rumbles on in the UK, households continue to be wary about their energy consumption.
Although the government extended its Energy Price Guarantee for homes until June, which brings the average energy bill to £2,500 a year, the cost is still eye-watering. Now, new research has revealed that Brits pay nearly twice the European average per kilowatt of energy.
Figures from The Underfloor Heating Store show that, at 39p per kilowatt, Britain has the sixth most expensive energy globally, after the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Benin, Denmark and Germany. On average, Europeans pay 23p per kilowatt of energy - almost half of what we pay in the UK.
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The amount families pay for energy also depends on the amount of people living at home and the size of your house. The research also found that on average in the UK, a small household - a flat or one-bedroom house occupied by one or two people - uses 1800 kilowatts per hour.
A two to three-bedroom house with two to three people living in it uses around 2900 kilowatts per hour, while a large household - a property with four bedrooms or more, and four to five occupants, uses 4300 kilowatts per hour.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, our energy prices are so high because the demand for gas increased after the pandemic and due to a shortage. Prices rose in 2021, and after Russia invaded Ukraine, they increased further. Since electricity prices are directly linked to gas prices, they also soared.
In contrast, the top five countries with the least expensive energy, based on the cost per kilowatt, are Lebanon (£0.0016) Libya (£0.0033) Iran, (£0.0041) Zimbabwe (£0.0041) and Ethiopia (£0.0049).
Asia was the continent found to have the lowest cost of a kilowatt on average. This means that medium-sized households are spending approximately £178.24 annually - just 5% of their yearly income.
Oceania has the most expensive energy of all the continents, with an average of £0.26 per kilowatt. It means a medium-sized household will be spending around £768.23 annually, which is a huge 38% of their yearly income spent on energy alone.
Use the interactive map below to see how the UK's energy prices compare with the rest of the world.
North and South America were found respectively to have the fourth and third cheapest price per kilowatt globally. The average price of a kilowatt in South America was found to be £0.11, with the average medium-sized household spending 8% of the average annual income on energy costs.
In North America, the average price of a kilowatt was £0.1815, with medium-sized households spending 13% of their yearly annual income on electricity.
Europe came in as a close second for the most expensive energy with an average of £0.23 per kilowatt. However, this takes away just 6% of the average yearly salary, while in Africa the cost of energy is £0.10 per kilowatt, spending an average of 29% of their income.
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