How Much Does it Cost to Boil a Kettle? Electricity Usage

Regrettably, energy bills are simply a fact of life. We need to pay them, and they are a requirement for everyday living. However, with rising costs, many homeowners are looking for ingenious ways to slash their energy costs. With many homes in the UK, the kettle is the most used small appliance. So, how much does it cost in electricity to boil a kettle?

Electric kettles are known to consume vast amounts of energy. In the United Kingdom, it costs two cents to boil an electric kettle. While this may not seem like much, for a typical UK household, the monthly consumption is £1.87.

The temperature, the level of water you need to boil, and energy are all factors in how efficient your kettle is in terms of energy consumption. If it takes, on average, three minutes to boil 1.5 liters of water, .1kWh of electricity is produced. This is what it would generate to fill an average kettle.

However, most people just fill their kettle to a certain point for whatever they are drinking. A study (Murray et al, 2016) ran kettle consumption throughout several households with different levels of occupancy. They concluded that kettles generate .73kWh per usage.

If this is the average consumption among households, then the cost of boiling a kettle works out to be the following for the UK: £ 012.

Culturally, those in the UK use a kettle in some fashion every single day (90%). Meanwhile, 40% use it five or more times daily. If the average household boils a kettle five times per day, the cost breaks down the following way:

If the average UK cost is £.012 per one-time use and we multiply it by five, the cost is £.06. Times this figure by 31 days, and the cost per month is £1.86.

Overall, the UK is in the top third of most expensive countries regarding boiling an electric kettle, which may be because of how many times people use their kettle. It accounts for 4% of the total energy consumption.

Another interesting thing to note is that in the UK, they experience power surges after large events. The reason for this is that people tend to turn their kettles on at mass. It is so huge that the national grid needs to monitor events to compensate for the electrical power surge.

There are many ways to decrease your daily/monthly consumption if you want to save a bit of money. Most of them are just logical and can be easily implemented.

1. Refrain from heating more water than you need. Modern kettles have temperature controls. They are great at reducing energy consumption, and you can select the proper temperature for whatever you are drinking. By controlling the temperature, you can reduce the impact by 2-5%
2. Keep the kettle running optimally. Examine the kettle for build-up on the heating element. You may need to descale it regularly. Also, check underneath the stovetop kettle for build-up. Ensure the lid closes tightly to avoid too much heat escaping.
3. Switch between providers. Energy providers encourage people to switch with special offers. It may be a great way to decrease costs.
4. Use gas. Gas hob stoves boil water more efficiently over electric kettles. It does depend on your kettle’s quality. However, since gas is lower than electricity, it may cost less to boil your water on a stove.
5. Avoid using a stovetop/electric hob. Since electric kettles are often insulated, their heating element meets water. They may be more efficient to boil over an electric stovetop or hob. Induction stovetops, however, can be more efficient with electric kettles, too.
6. Boil what you need. Avoid overfilling your kettle. The increased amount of water takes a long time to boil and will only increase your energy consumption. By boiling what you need, you reduce costs by 1/3. You can always measure what you need and pour it into the kettle for boiling.
7. Use the kettle less frequently. While this may not be a popular option, it is the best way at keeping costs low.

In the UK, overfilling the kettle results in 68 million pounds in electricity wasted. It also emits 3,525 tonnes of CO² daily.

When considering how much it costs to boil a kettle, find a kettle that saves on energy. The best kettle for this is made by Bosch. This kettle is cordless and has temperature control.

It allows you to adjust settings for different drinks and hold 1.5 litres.

The concealed heating element helps prevent the build-up of limescale, and the water reaches a boil rapidly over other kettles.

There are a vast array of options in reducing the amount of energy consumed while using a kettle. Since we now know how much it costs to boil a kettle, we can look at ways of conserving energy. Implementing these changes can be as simple as purchasing a kettle that is energy efficient. You can also achieve this by using a gas stovetop to boil water.

If overconsumption is indeed an issue- which appears to be on a larger scale in the UK- then the solution may reside in watching how much you boil. You may need to boil what you intend on using and avoid using the keep warm feature on your kettle. While it may seem like a convenient feature, the privilege will cost you over the long term.

Saving on energy bills boils down to being smarter about how you use your electric kettle and cutting down on costs wherever you can. While it may not be perfect, and the savings may be nominal, at least you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you did your part for the environment.