Electric Kettles Unplugged: Understanding the Financial Impact of Daily Use 

The Cost of Convenience: Calculating the Expense of Running Your Kettle

Most of us simply couldn't survive without our kettle, but how much it costs to boil a kettle might come as a surprise. Whether it's to make our fifth cup of tea of the day (no shame), or to boil the water so we can cook spaghetti for dinner, we rely on our kettles to get by. But from overfilling kettles to unnecessary boiling kettles repeatedly they can quickly become one of the most energy-guzzling kitchen appliances in the home.

Electric Kettles Unplugged: Understanding the Financial Impact of Daily Use

In January the energy price cap will be going up by £94, according to Ofgem, taking the price cap from £1,834 to £1,928 per year. This means that finances will continue to be tight, so understanding the cost to boil even the best kettles is more important than ever, to make some incredibly easy savings. Working out how much it costs to boil a kettle depends on a number of factors, including how much water you’re boiling and how powerful your kettle is.

How Much Does Your Kettle Really Cost to Operate?

'To work out how much it costs to boil a kettle, you’ll need to know how much you pay for one unit of energy (1kW), how many kilowatts your kettle is and how long it takes to boil the desired number of cups.

The Hidden Expenses of Boiling Water: Unveiling the True Cost of Running a Kettle

From January 2024 the cost of electricity has been capped by Ofgems energy price cap at 29p/kWh for electricity, which basically means that the maximum cost your energy provider can charge you to use an electrical appliance over the course of an hour is 29p. For this purpose, we have used 29p to illustrate the cost of how much it currently costs to boil a kettle.

Budgeting Your Brew: Breaking Down the Financials of Operating a Kettle

The majority of kettles have a 3kW element. An example 3kW kettle boils one cup of water (235ml) in approx 45 seconds. This means it uses 1p to boil a cup of water in a kettle. The same kettle can boil 1.7 litres of water in about 4 minutes, meaning that it costs 5p to boil a full kettle each time.

How to easily cut your costs down?

By carefully selecting and choosing kettles that have energy saving features such as the Russell Hobbs kettle that can save upto 66% of energy compared to other kettle models.