How Much Electricity Does a Russell Hobbs Kettle Use?

Whilst I have a rough idea of how much a kettle uses, I thought I would test my own kettle at home to see how much it uses, and how much time and energy is wasted by boiling more water than you need. I have previously discussed how much energy we waste as a nation by boiling more water than we need in Energy Saving Tip - Boiling the Kettle.

I tested the Russell Hobbs Satin Montana Kettle (Model No. 14150), rated as a 3kW kettle, after approximately 6 seconds the kettle began to draw power and used between 2.81kW and 2.87kW.

However if you boiled a full kettle (1.75lt), the kettle took 212.8 seconds to boil. If you were using the kettle for a single cup of tea you could have saved 173.3 seconds, as boiling a single cup (allowing approximately 10% more for evaporation) took a mere 40.5 seconds.

Boiling a full kettle required 0.16kWh (about 2 pence) whereas a single cup, required only 0.03kWh (about 0.4 pence). If you are a mad tea drinker then boiling what you need as opposed to what you don't need could save you a bit over the year, not to mention alot of time.

So what can you do to reduce your impact;

• The Eco Kettle
  The innovative Eco Kettle has a unique double chamber that gets you to measure out exactly how much water you want to boil, saving electricity, water, money and time, making it better for the planet... and you still get to have a great cup of tea. That's smart thinking - making the eco kettle one of our favourite eco products, and an essential for any eco friendly kitchen or workplace. Using a kettle to boil more water than you need is the equivalent to powering 300 CFLs unnecessarily.
  
  
• Referring to the measure on the side can help you to accurately determine the amount of liquid necessary
  
  
• Measure how much water you require by filling the cup or saucepan you are planning to use and then pour this water into the kettle, remembering to add a little bit extra to compensate for evaporation
  

For information on the electricity consumption of other products check out "How Much Electricity Does a ... Use?"

Please Note the energy use figures are taken from an energy monitor and are not scientifically analysed, therefore the range and margin of error is greater. If you would like a specific product tested let us know and we will endeavour to check it out.