I think we all know by now that boiling the kettle uses a large amount of energy. ‘Only boil the water you need’ is in the top 5 of every list of ‘Top tips to reduce your carbon footprint’, and quite rightly so.
I have to admit, however, that I didn’t realise exactly how much energy a kettle uses, and quite how important the ‘only fill your kettle…’ message really is. Here’s the maths:
A quick survey of kettles for sale shows that their power consumption runs from 2,000 to 3,000 watts. The low energy equivalent of a 60 watt lightbulb consumes 11 watts. Take a typical household using only low energy lightbulbs but with a typical mix of 40, 60 and 100 watt equivalents and BINGO: every time you turn on the kettle, you are using the same power as between 250 and 300 low energy light bulbs!
So, just in case you haven’t already got the message: ONLY FILL THE KETTLE WITH THE WATER YOU NEED TO BOIL.
But what else can we do to counter this problem? What other solutions are there? Not a huge amount, but here are a few ideas:
- When you buy a new kettle, check on its wattage. ‘Fast boil’ kettles use more power.
- Why not buy the new Eco Kettle? It’s the best way to ensure you only boil the water you need every time.
- Also look into new kettles that let you choose the temperature you want to heat your water to. Some teas, for instance, only need water at 80 degrees, so less power is needed to heat your water for a cuppa.
- If you have a gas stove, boil your water in a saucepan with the lid on. Yes, it will probably take longer, but it will generate fewer co2 emissions.
- Install solar pv panels to generate your electricity. Ok, so this is the luxury solution, but at least you don’t need to feel bad about boiling a kettle any more. Only one problem though: on a cloudy day, your panels won’t generate enough electricity to boil your kettle!!
Ultimately we have to hope that someone will produce a more efficient way of boiling water, but until then, do I need to say it again……?