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Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 05 9:10 am Post subject: kettles
I've always wanted a whistling kettle, you know like your granny had. Saw one the other day, and then thought... well which is more efficient or uses less energy, my electric 3KW kettle or one to go on my average ( but about 10 years old) ceramic hob. I only fill it with what I need for the teapot or mug. Unfortunately I'm going to guess the electric one, but the answer would be of interest.

twoscoops

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1924
Location: Warwickshire

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 05 9:23 am Post subject:
I always thought that with an electric one you were looking at 60p to boil it full. I had a whistling one (remember the towelling inferno story?) but you sometimes put the kettle on and get distracted so you come to make your tea ten minutes later, which you can�t do with a stove-top one. I�ve gone back to electric, which gets used maybe twice a week.

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 05 1:00 pm Post subject:
i had a whislting cow kettle (no it didn't moo, mores the pity) it takes longer to heat that up then an electric one.........i suppose if you have an aga and it stands on the back of it permanently warming, then that's different but if you have to light the gas and heat from cold then it must be less efficient as far as i can see.

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91� N

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 05 1:14 pm Post subject:

Twoscoops wrote:

I always thought that with an electric one you were looking at 60p to boil it full. ...

60p

Are you sure? electrickery costs about 12p /KWh (ish), so at 3KW you would be able to run a kettle for about 1 1/2 hours (ish).

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 05 1:22 pm Post subject:
hmm still no votes for a hob model then. 3kw to boil a mug ful say in what minute or two compared to same amount on hob which has a ring wattage unknown - well thats helpful isn't it?

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 05 1:25 pm Post subject:
I'm sure I read somewhere that you should use a hob kettle if you've got gas or solid fuel and an electric one if you've got an electric hob. But I may be making that up.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 05 1:27 pm Post subject:
Agree with JB's maths. Around 1p to boil an electric kettle. Previous related threads https://forum.downsizer.net/about5628.html https://forum.downsizer.net/about1948.html What is it with Julie and kettles?

twoscoops

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1924
Location: Warwickshire

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 05 1:33 pm Post subject:
Don�t shoot me! I only read it somewhere once.

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 05 2:37 pm Post subject:

dougal wrote:

Agree with JB's maths. Around 1p to boil an electric kettle.

Previous related threads
https://forum.downsizer.net/about5628.html
https://forum.downsizer.net/about1948.html

What is it with Julie and kettles?

I hadn't realised!

I've got a ceramic hob, so I guess the difference is negible?

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 05 3:15 pm Post subject:

Fiddlesticks Julie wrote:

hmm still no votes for a hob model then. 3kw to boil a mug ful say in what minute or two compared to same amount on hob which has a ring wattage unknown - well thats helpful isn't it?

Its important to distinguish between kilowatts (kw, a thousand watts), which measure *rate* of energy usage/supply, and kilowatt hours (kwh or "units"), which measure the *quantity* of energy used.

Use electricity at a *rate* of 1 kw for an hour and the *quantity* of electricity used is 1 kwh.

Ignoring detail pedantries (like heat loss), if you boil a set quantity of water, that will always take the same *quantity* of electricity (for the same quantity of water and the same start temp) regardless of the wattage - but the time it takes will depend on the *rate* that that the kettle uses electricity (ie the rate it supplies heat).

OK, time for detail pedantries. For electricity, its just a question of where heat is wasted. And less is wasted from a plastic kettle with a submerged element than in heating the ceramic hob, and the metal kettle or pan (and heat losses therefrom) as well as the heat that goes around the side of the kettle. And with almost every electric kettle having an auto shut-off (which a hob hasn't) there's no wasted heat/electricity after its up to temperature.
So sadly an electric hob is *not* a good way to boil water.
EDIT: Though an electric *induction* hob will waste much less heat than any conventional electric hob...

Because gas is *much* cheaper than electricity, an inefficient gas hob will usually do the job more cheaply than an efficient electric kettle.
So Sean (probably) didn't make it up...

Last edited by dougal on Fri Oct 14, 05 10:58 pm; edited 1 time in total

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 05 3:29 pm Post subject:
ah well, thanx Dougal, thats the sort of info I was after. So if my kettle blows up then I need to persuade himself to invest in a woodburning Aga! On cost grounds don't think I'll win that one!

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 05 8:36 pm Post subject:
I want one to get the space on the worktop back that I lost fitting a bigger gas hob (typical!) and then maybe I can squeeze a food processor in! Also it can go on the woodburner when it happens to be alight (quite a lot in the winter)

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Sat Oct 15, 05 6:34 pm Post subject:
The "Low Energy Cooking" area of George Marshall's website www.theyellowhouse.org.uk has some interetsing notes about the use of boiling water in the kitchen ... I have just spent about 10 mins looking for the bit on his website that explains why a hob kettle is better than an electric one but I have come up blank - sorry!

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Sat Oct 15, 05 7:20 pm Post subject:

Lozzie wrote:

The "Low Energy Cooking" area of George Marshall's website www.theyellowhouse.org.uk has some interetsing notes about the use of boiling water in the kitchen ... I have just spent about 10 mins looking for the bit on his website that explains why a hob kettle is better than an electric one but I have come up blank - sorry!

wonderful site, thanks for that! But no I couldn't find about hob kettles either!

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Sun Oct 16, 05 11:00 am Post subject:
Thinking about it, I am pretty sure it was part of the CD-Rom of his that I looked at recently. For some reason not on his website.l

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