So why should you care about owning an eco kettle? Well, though a Kettle may seem an insubstantial part of our carbon footprint, it’s their cumulative effect we need to worry about. Did you know that the British National Grid experiences surges at the start and finish of popular TV shows. Why? Because we British like a lovely cup of tea.

So firstly, what is an eco kettle? Essentially it’s a kettle that has a smaller environmental impact, either because it uses less Energy to achieve the same results, or it’s made in a more sustainable way (as a plastic-free kettle). In this post we’re going to focus on energy efficient kettles. 

Why use an eco kettle? 

We all worry about our carbon footprint. But sometimes it can feel like too mammoth and difficult a task to tackle. Getting rid of your car might seem like an impossible ask, but small changes can add up to just as important an impact. 

Boiling a litre of water in an average electric kettle produces around 70g of CO2 equivalent, this being the standard way to calculate a carbon footprint. That might seem small, but think of how often your kettle goes on. Let’s say three times a day, maybe more if you’re a prolific hot drink consumer. Now times that by 365 days a year. Suddenly that’s a whopping 76kg of CO2 a year. You could drive from London to Cardiff for the same environmental cost, with change to spare. 

What makes an energy efficient eco kettle?

Cup measuring system

We often don’t think of water wastage when we’re using our kettles. However, if you fill more than you need to you have to use more energy to heat the water. Additionally, if you’re someone who empties your kettle before reboiling it then you’ll also be throwing away perfectly good water too. The easiest way to avoid this is by having an easy to read cup measurement on the outside of the kettle, starting with one cup rather than two.

A hidden element

The element in your kettle is a magnet for limescale. Limescale is that white furry stuff. A build up of limescale will make your kettle less efficient. Cleaning it off is a simple solution, but how often does anyone clean their kettle? Therefore a hidden element will avoid this all together. Kettles with a built in filter system can also prevent the limescale getting into your appliance in the first place.

Keep warm function

As you return to your kettle for the third time that day you may well wonder if it wouldn’t be better just to have a thermos of hot water to hand. Well some kettles have incorporated this idea and can keep the water left in your kettle warm for twenty minutes, or sometimes even several hours. 

Automatic shut off

Most kettles today click off as they reach the desired temperature. This is important for health and safety but also prevents unnecessary energy wastage. A boil dry automatic shut off is also important, as this means the kettle will turn off if there’s nothing in it. We’ve all sleepily put on an empty kettle, but we don’t want to pay for it with our carbon footprint.  

Different temperature settings

Did you know in Japanese there’s a word that means a person has a cat’s tongue? This means they can’t handle food or drink that is piping hot. For those that don’t need their drinks at exactly 100°c, boiling water to 90° will save on your energy consumption over time.

Why do kettles use so much energy?

You may well have asked yourself why it takes so long for your kettle to boil. As frustrating as the delay may seem, taking water from around 10°c to 100°c isn’t an easy thing to do. An electric kettle works through the use of a heating element. The heating element resists the flow of electricity being passed through it, causing it to heat up. This in turn heats the water. In some kettles you can see the element at the bottom when you lift the lid, whereas others have hidden it away.

The amount of energy to heat water doesn’t change much, so why are some kettles considered more energy efficient than others? 

Well some energy is lost through the heating of the kettle itself, and the surrounding air. Though the plastic casing helps insulate the kettle, and prevents you from burning your hand, there is always some waste. Other energy inefficiencies come from using electricity to heat your water rather than a direct heat source like gas or burning wood, as energy is lost when fuels are consumed to turn into electricity. This varies massively with how your energy is initially made. 

Is it cheaper to boil water in a kettle or on the hob?

It may seem a little odd to put on a pan of water when you want a cup of tea. Yet if you’re trying to save the pennies it may be cheaper this way. That is if you’re cooking on gas. 

An electric hob will actually work out more expensive than your kettle. However, a lot depends on how carefully you carry out your task. Turning off the hob as soon as your water is boiled, and using a lid to speed up the process, will improve your energy efficiency.

Is it cheaper to boil water in a kettle or microwave?

In part this will depend on how much energy your kettle and microwave use. The average kettle uses between 1,500 – 3,000 watts. A modern microwave by comparison uses around 600 – 1500 watts. How long it takes either to boil water will depend partly on how much water you are heating. 

However, both take on average 2-4 minutes. Therefore if you’ve got a 1,500 watt microwave and 1,500 watt kettle they are probably costing you about the same to boil your cup of  tea. But if your microwave requires half the energy to power of your kettle it’s going to cost you less. The price per boil will depend in part in your tariff but costs will be around 3-4 pence to boil a full kettle, compared to 1-2 pence using a microwave. 

A word of warning though, the kettle has evolved over the years into a very safe appliance. It’s easy and simple to boil your water without any risk of scolding. The microwave by comparison relies on your common sense. Additionally lack of movement in water as it’s being heated can cause it to suddenly erupt as you move the container or add other ingredients to it. 

Thumbs up for getting an eco kettle   

So in the end getting an eco kettle is a small step in the right direction to reduce your personal energy consumption. Ensuring your kettle offers functions such as cup measurements, a keep warm function and an automatic shut off are easy wins. 

However, a word of warning. Don’t simply discard your old kettle. The energy that it’s taken to make this appliance has its own cost. If you want to upgrade why not donate it to charity or offer it to friends or relatives. And if it’s too old or damaged for this kind of new life, make sure you recycle it so it can be reincarnated as something completely different. 

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