Twelve months ago most people would not have considered the cost of boiling their kettle.
But now with the cost of living crisis, energy bills on the rise, as well as other every day expenses, it's one of a number of things people are considering when looking at ways to cut back.
From holding off putting the heating on to air-drying clothes instead of using the tumble drier, there are some things which are easy to use less - but the humble kettle is hard to go without.
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They're the unsung heroes of cold days, and many of us rely on warm cups of tea or coffee to get us through the day.
Chronicle Live reports that UK households drinks an estimated 165 million cups of tea each day, so it's no surprise we're looking at where savings can be made before the new energy price cap hits on October 1.
But how will the rising price cap affect the cost of using our kettles?
Real Homes spoke to the experts who gave their insight on the price of using a kettle and how best to use it if you're trying to lower your electric bill and keep energy usage down in general, reports the Daily Record.
Matthew Jenkins, energy expert at MyJobQuote, said: "With an estimated 95% of British families boiling their kettle at least once a day and 40% of families more than five times a day, the exact costs will vary on the size/power rating of your kettle plus your electric tariff cost.
"The average two-litre kettle has a power rating of three kilowatts per hour (kWh), although it must be noted that it will never take a whole hour to boil your kettle! Instead, boiling a kettle for an average of four minutes uses 0.225kWh."
The average cost per unit of electricity now is 28p, which will rise to 34p on Saturday. Using the following sum: Power used (0.225kWh) x cost of one kWh (28p), the cost of boiling your kettle today is around:
- Full kettle (2 litres) : 6p
- Half-full kettle (1 litre) : 3p
- Two cups for tea (500ml) : 1.5p
From Saturday, this will increase to:
- Full kettle (2 litres) : 8p
- Half-full kettle (1 litre) : 4p
- Two cups for tea (500ml) : 2p
Overfilling your kettle is a cost that can be avoided, and doing this frequently when you only want one or two cups of tea can add up over a period of time. You'll also pay less if you have recently boiled the kettle and the water is still hot, but if you have left your boiled water for longer than 10 minutes then it will most likely need to boil entirely again, costing the same amount as before.
Matthew Jenkins also says that while the kettle isn't the most costly kitchen item to run, there are ways to make them more cost-effective.
He said: "Using a kettle to boil water is 80% efficient, as long as you make sure you boil the exact amount of water you need and try not to leave it plugged in when not in use, then the kettle is a convenient appliance."
He also suggested boiling your water in a traditional kettle or saucepan on a hob, as gas is cheaper than electricity (the average cost now 7p, going up to 10p from October 1.
However, if you do this, make sure you only boil the exact amount of water you need on the correct sized hob. For example, boiling a small pan of water on a big flame won’t make your water boil any faster and will cost more than using a smaller ring.
If your family drink hot tea or coffee a lot, you may have considered a hot water dispenser as an alternative to a kettle.
But consumer group Which? has advised that these gadgets only work out cheaper and more efficient if you want to boil a single mug of water, and you have a kettle with a minimum fill volume of more than 250ml. In those cases, the kettle will take longer to boil and will cost you more money.
An average mug holds 250ml of water and to heat this amount of water in a kettle or a hot water dispenser takes the same amount of time - around a minute - and the same amount of electricity.
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