How Much Does it Cost to Boil a Kettle?

There is a simple way to calculate your kettle’s electric bill. Our guide will show you everything you need to know.

To calculate the costs of an electric kettle, one must consider 4 factors. By understanding and combining the kettle’s capacity, power rating, time of usage, and the cost per unit of electricity, each kettle’s costs can be determined.

If power usage is something you like to keep your eye on, you will find everything you need to understand what it costs to boil your electric kettle.

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How To Determine What It Costs To Boil A Kettle

People want an answer to this question for several reasons. Some are just curious. Others have noticed a spike in their bills since they bought a new kettle. Whatever your reason is, you can determine what you pay every time you boil an electric kettle for some tea.

At the most basic, you have to take note of 4 things and view them in relation to each other to determine how much you are spending every time the kettle starts singing. Let’s peek at the 4 factors briefly.

1. Your kettle’s water capacity.
2. The power rating of the appliance.
3. How long the kettle boils.
4. How much a unit of electricity costs in your area.

The Water Capacity Of Your Kettle

Water capacity basically just refers to the top amount of water your kettle can boil in one given time.

Kettles today come in a variety of capacities. This allows customers to choose something that suits their lifestyle. A single student might choose a smaller capacity than a large family! On the smaller end of the scale, the most common capacity is 1L. The larger kettles can swing between 1.8L and 2L.

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How Do I Know What My Kettle’s Capacity Is?

This is easy to determine. The water capacity should be in the user manual or on the box you bought the kettle in. You can also look on the side of the appliance at the water indicator. The topmost litre number will be your kettle’s capacity.

The Power Rating Of The Appliance

The power rating of an electric kettle is one of the main factors that determine electricity consumption. Most kettles have a rating that ranges between 2000W and 2400W. There are several things worth noting about your kettle’s power rating.

• The higher the rating the better the performance of the electric kettle.
• It is also the rating that determines the amount of time it takes for the kettle to boil a certain amount of water.
• Highly rated kettles take shorter periods than those with low ratings.

How Do I Determine My Kettle’s Power Rating?

You can discover your appliance’s power rating the same way as its water capacity. It is very common nowadays for the kettle’s power rating to be displayed on the box and also somewhere in the user manual.

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How Long The Kettle Boils

The same kettle can take different times to boil. How long it takes depends on how much water you have added. If the kettle is filled just enough for one cup of tea, the boiling time will be significantly shortened. But if you fill the appliance to its full capacity to make everybody’s morning coffee, the kettle will boil much longer.

To calculate the costs of boiling your kettle, you might want to do so with different scenarios. Test it for one cup’s worth of water, two, three and then full capacity. This way you will know exactly how much you are paying in each situation.

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The Price Of A Unit Of Electricity

This could be the hardest part. You have to find out what the units cost in your area or municipality. The information is usually available on a government website.

The Formula For Calculating The Costs Of Boiling A Kettle

Great stuff, we have reached the fun part! Let’s do some math. Please note that we are using hypothetical numbers to determine costs here. But all you have to do is to insert your kettle’s own details into this easy formula to determine how much you are spending when your caffeine-loving cousin visits.

Our hypothetical kettle has a capacity of 1.8 litres and a power rating of 2400W. Filled to the brim, it takes about 4.25 minutes to boil. In our hypothetical area, an electrical unit costs 28.7 cents. So let’s have a quick overview.

Amount of water: 1.8L.

Power rating: 2400W.

Time: 4.25 Minutes.

Cost per Unit: 28.7 cents per kWh.

Electricity consumed in boiling 1.8 litres  = 170W.

The cost of boiling will be 0.17 x 28.7 = 4.879 cents.

A kettle that takes too long to boil can waste your time and finances. If you feel that your kettle is taking an abnormal amount of time to finish, the following article might help. We listed the common reasons why a kettle takes longer to boil and also how to fix the problem.

Daily, Weekly, And Monthly Costs

You can use this formula to determine the overall costs of running an electric kettle on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. For instance, if you use the kettle 3 times a day, the costs per day will be 4.879 cents multiplied by 3, which is approximately 15 cents.

A Quick Summary On How To Calculate The Costs Of Boiling A Kettle

• An electric kettle is one of the most used appliances in the home.
• Tracking its “spending” can allow you to see your daily, weekly, and monthly tallies.
• Four factors must be considered to track your kettle’s costs.
• The factors include a kettle’s water capacity, power rating, the time it takes to boil, and the cost of a unit of electricity.

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