Has my wife gone mad?

[Captaincrunch]

Hi could someone answer this question so that i can print it off and show her?

I went to boil the kettle and in she came like a wailing banshee shrieking "Don't do it!" as if the place was filled with gas and i was about to press an ignition button. I shouted "What? and she said "it's full, pour half away as it'll be cheaper" I laughed and said "It doesn't use up more then 240v at a time so it doesn't matter whether there's a thimble full or whether it's filled to the brim as the kettle can't suck out more electricity from the national grid as the wires are only built to be able to take 240v at a time and unfortunately we don't have a magical device that can do otherwise" She then started harpng on about some advert which she'd seen which honestly put a bee in her bonnet about all of these rubbish "Energy saving" tips which seem to cost quadruple more then the current methods!

Does anyone know whether this really does save money and if so how much money does it cost to have a full kettle boiling 2 times a day every day of the year and how much does it cost to have a half filled kettle 2 times a day every day in a year and exactly what the saving is so i can show the dozy mare when she comes home.

Many thanks for your help!

[DTCwordfan]

whats the wattage of the kettle?

[DTCwordfan]

Sounds like Cptcrunch is fed up with this, going to lose face, probably a period of no nooky - but look on the bright side, your house is toasty warm.

[boxtops]

Here you go - annual saving £20 (scroll down) http://www.ourpropert...gy_at_home_guide.html

[Captaincrunch]

Baza don't get me wrong, i obviously like money in my pocket rather than a power company's ceo's bank account but i like maximum gain with minimal fuss not the other way around especially if the "saving" wouldn't be noticed.

I've never heard anyone say that by filling the kettle to the halfway mark they can now afford a holiday in St Tropez, have you?

Dtcrossword fan i'm not an electrician so haven't got the foggiest, it does run on 240v like everything else in the home

[stewey]

DT is on the right track here. Give him the wattage of the kettle, and he'll give you examples of the cost of using it.

[Mick-Talbot]

I've never heard anyone say that by filling the kettle to the halfway mark they can now afford a holiday in St Tropez, have you?


Me neither, excellent point, well put.

[Psybbo]

For a second I thought she had second thoughts about electrocuting you!

[Captaincrunch]

£20 quid? jesus h christ! What's the point in saving that if then my kettle's always empty leaving us to have to constantly fill it using time and effort and boiling it again? If anything the bills would go up surely?

[Prudie]

Because your time and effort doesn't cost anything

[hc4361]

The correct way to use an electric kettle for maximum efficiency and good tasting tea and coffee is to boil only what you need and rinse with cold water you've finished, especially if you live in a hard water area.

Reboiled water makes tea and coffee taste foul, gives it an almost metallic taste.

It is obvious it takes more energy to boil a full kettle than a half empty one. Try blowing up a balloon and you'll see.

[ChuckFickens]

I'd say £20 is excessive.

If your kettle is 3KW and takes 250 seconds to boil 1 litre of water it costs

3000 * 250 = 750000 joules (OR 750Kj) which is .2 Kwh or about 2.8pence if you pay 14p per Kwh for your electricity.

Roughly speaking it takes half the time to boil half the water. so to boil one cup which is approx 250Ml it will cost 0.7pence

So for two boils a day you'd save 1.4p a day.

Over the course of a year 1.4 * 365 = 511 pence (or £5.11)

[paddywak]

1 unit is 1 kilowatt hour, so if your kettle has a 1000 watt element and it is on continuously for an hour it would cost what ever your provider charges per unit perhaps 15-20p.

[boxtops]

perhaps my link is for someone who drinks a lot of tea or coffee, chuck :-)

[wiltsman]

Of course your wife hasn't gone mad - it's you!

If you always ensure the kettle is empty before you use it, then you can take it to the tap and only fill it with the amount of water you want to use.

You seem to be making a mountain out of a molehill with with your statement:
'If it's something stupid like £3.77 a year then why am i going to go through the hassle of walking to the sink filling the kettle, walking to the kettle switching it on, then remembering this energy saving tip, so switching off the kettle, walking back to the sink pouring half the water away, then walking to the paper towels to wipe of any excess water then walking back once more to the kettle again to switch it on?'

The only proviso I would say is, check with your kettle's instruction booklet and find out what the minimum amount of water should be put into the kettle.

[hc4361]

Do you ever get that filmy scum on your tea or coffee? That is caused by reboiled water. Bleurgh

[DTCwordfan]

3000 watts heating (a decent kettle) and boiling away for six minutes twice a day 365 days = 219kwh. At 13.5p/kwh total cost = £29.57, so say £30. So half filled and say boiled in half the time, it's a good bottle of wine to steady your nerves.

[Captaincrunch]

I honestly cannot stop laughing that you only save £20 quid, what does that add up to a day? What's £20 divided by 365 days a year?

I've just text messaged my wife saying "I have a surprise for you" She texted back saying "I can't wait"

Little does she know it's going to be this thread stuck to the fridge with £20 circled in red!

Thanks for all of your help, i'm off now to boil an extremely filled kettle and have a well earned cup of tea before she gets in and the fireworks start

[ChuckFickens]

True, Boxy...

Also most kettles are closer to two litres... so if full you can double the £5, 4 boils a day, double it again.

[DTCwordfan]

I'd stick a purple note on top of the print out, CptC.......a bit classier.

[Captaincrunch]

£5.11? I am seriously going to bend her ear when she gets in as i want my money back for the glazing, the insulation etc.. What's the point of spending 20 grand or so to save £5.11

I honestly need my head checked for listening to her, the only people that saved money are the glaziers and the insulation people as they put my hard earned wedge into their already full bank accounts no doubt.

I honestly need a lie down after that.

Thanks for your help, bye.