I think I read that the average Aussie electricty bill was $1551 per annum. LOL ... My average per 56 days is over $500 (summer bill , not winter) to run my house. Times this by 6 to make it per annum and I am looking at electricity over $3000 per year. This is an average from the people I talk to in similar circumstances/demographic/modelling.
The result is similar with Natural gas (albeit approximately about half the cost of electricity) Once again similar to people I talk to with the same size house and family.
Am I using too much energy to run my house? If so why is it that the people I am comparing to are similar in their uptake? How is it that the "general" populace can survive on such limited amount of consumption of power?
I am using a LOT less in water than my counterparts even though I am sitting on near double the size of their properties? I also have 2 kitchens and 4 bathrooms in the one house. Slightly more than average comparison. I do not have any solar HWS or rely on any sort of solar panels on the roof for electrickery.
This is done by only using the water we consume (showers and toilets) are restricted to a time limit for showering and my WC's are 6 star rated. My garden has sensors for moisture in the lawn and in the gardens so the reticulation only comes on when required. I am saving close to $600 a year in water compared to my neighbours. (A more precious commodity IMO)
I would disagree that water (100% renewable) is a more precious commodity than fossil fuels (non-renewable), especially given that we have technology (desalination) for turnin fuel into water but not the reverse.
But all that said and back on topic, consider the freezing weather we've had recently. Not in terms of whether or not it is "evidence" of climate change, but how we respond to it. Victorians turn up the gas whilst Tasmanians stoke up the fire or switch on the heat pump. There in itself is a huge difference - gas in Melbourne versus wood or electric in Hobart. And then I could point out that Victorians tend to heat the whole house with a ducted system, whilst Tasmanian homes usually have a big heater in the lounge room and no ducts. Then I could mention that those in Darwin would find the concept of being cold a bit of a novelty and probably wouldn't bother actually heating the place (I'm guessing that last bit since I've never lived in Darwin).
As for what is normal, well that comes down to where you live, what you do for heating and so on. Obviously someone with gas heating, cooking and hot water is going to use a lot less electricity, and a lot more gas, than someone with an all-electric home.
As for me, well my household energy use (excluding transport) is 51% wood, 30% grid electricity, 17% solar, 2% oil. So I'm not really a "typical" consumer so far as the government is concerned, and nor are most people.
For what it's worth, tracing my energy supply back to its' actual sources gives the following results: wood 51%, hydro 24%, solar 17%, gas 4%, oil 2%, coal 1%, wind 1%. Again, not typical figures and it's hard to find someone who actually is "normal" with their energy use - there's huge variation between households.