Electric kettle power - electricity consumption

Electric kettle parameters

The main parameters of electric kettles include:

Capacity - as a rule, ranges from half a liter to three liters. It is believed that the optimal kettle for a family of 3-4 people is with a 2-liter volume. For one person, a half-liter volume is quite suitable.

Power is the main parameter of an electric kettle. It is he who determines at what speed the water will heat up. For most devices, this figure falls between 0.85 and 1.5 kW. The power required to operate a kettle directly depends on the material used to make it.

Heating element - there are two types:

1. Open – when the heating coil is in direct contact with the heated water;
2. Closed – does not come into contact with heated water;

Shape and appearance are also important parameters that primarily attract the attention of the consumer. The shape of the electric kettle can be:

1. Pitcher-shaped - quite compact and attractive, but, unfortunately, does not hold the heat of water very well.
2. Cone-shaped - promotes faster boiling of water and retains its heat for a long time.

Stand and cord - there are two varieties:

1. Stationary - allows you to place the kettle in only one position, equipped with a kind of “socket” on which the device is placed;
2. “Pirouette” - allows you to freely install in the central part of the stand.

Wire - its length is usually the same for all models. None of the mains-powered models can boast of a long cord. This length for the wire is provided purely for safety reasons. It is very easy to get caught on the long cord or trip over it and knock over the kettle. The short length increases the likelihood of safe use of the kettle, but rather limits the possibilities of its installation, suggesting its installation in close proximity to the outlet.

Electric kettle power

This article will talk about the parameters of electric kettles, their power, as well as types of heating elements, calculation of electricity consumption and recommendations will be given on how to reduce the energy consumption of an electric kettle.

Electric kettle parameters

• Capacity. Almost every device model has a volume of 0.45-3 liters. The best option for a family is a two-liter kettle. If a person lives alone, then 0.45 liters will be enough for him;
• Power. This is the most important parameter of all. After all, it depends on how quickly the water heats up. A large number of electric kettles have a power of 0.85-1.5 kW. It depends on the material from which the device is made;
• A heating element. Electric kettles operate from the mains. They can use only two options for heating elements:

1. Open. There is direct contact of the spiral with water;
2. Closed. In this case, the element has no contact with the liquid;

• Shape and design. The visual part is an important parameter, because the first thing that buyers pay their attention to is the appearance.

There are two types of form:

1. Jug. This type is compact, but the water in it cools quickly;
2. Cone. This variety boils water quickly and keeps it hot for a long time;

• Stand and cord. Nowadays, only two types of stands are used in teapots:

1. Stationary. With this stand, the device can be installed in only one position. This is what the “nest” is for;
2. " Pirouette". The kettle can be freely placed in the center of the stand;

• The wire. The wire length on each model is almost the same. Electric kettles have a short wire length. This is specifically done to ensure safe use of the device. A long cord is inconvenient because it can get caught on it and knock over the kettle. It is recommended to install the device close to an outlet.

The main parameter is power

The heating speed depends entirely on the power of the electric kettle. Nowadays, the power of devices is 1000-3000 watts. The optimal device option is one that has a power of 2200 W. This type of electric kettle can quickly heat water without any voltage surges.

The energy expended during heating depends on the volume of the kettle. The larger the device, the greater its power so that the heating process does not last long.

Types of heating elements

As mentioned above in the article, electric kettles have two types of spirals: closed and open.

Open element. The same heater, only it is turned horizontally. It is much cheaper to produce than a closed one. But it also has its drawbacks:

• To boil, you need to pour it to the very top so that the boiler does not burn out. These boil water for several cups at once;
• Scale may form around the coil. It is difficult to clean it. The heating process becomes longer and the taste deteriorates;
• There is no fuse and therefore the water may boil away. If you allow the heater to operate without water, it will burn out.

Closed element. In teapots with such an element, the spirals are covered with a metal bottom. Because of this, the price of the device increases by 10%. But the closed element has many advantages, which is why it is used in almost all devices.

Pros:

• You can easily get rid of scale;
• On such a spiral you can not be afraid to heat liquid for one cup;
• The switch operates when the boiling process ends, which is very convenient;
• There is a fuse installed that prevents the kettle from turning on if there is no water in it.

Minuses:

• Slow heating, since there is no contact of the heater with water;
• The noise is from the bubbles that form when boiling.

Indicators affecting power

Before purchasing, be sure to find out how much power it consumes. Standard indicators are from 700 to 3 thousand watts.

Energy consumption also depends on factors such as:

• Water volume;
• Type of heating element;
• Number of times to warm up.

This concludes the list of main conditions that affect energy consumption.

Amount of energy consumed

An electric kettle is one of the most electrically consuming appliances. Typically the power indicator is 1.5-3 kilowatts per hour.

For example: a person can use a kettle on average five times a day, the water heats up for about three minutes, thereby you can calculate the average electricity consumption per month. Formula for calculations: 3 * 0.2 * 30 = 18 kW per month.

Now you can look at the electricity consumption of other equipment. You can see that the kettle’s performance is low, but you need to take into account that other appliances work around the clock. The conclusion is that the device can use a huge amount of electrical energy in a short time.

Tips for saving energy consumption

An electric kettle is the most wasteful device. In a short time, it can use much more electricity than a refrigerator and other appliances in the house. These recommendations will help reduce the energy consumption of an electric kettle.

Recommendations:

• You cannot leave the kettle plugged in if it is not currently in use, since even when turned off it uses electricity;
• You should always heat as much as is needed at the moment , because the amount of power consumed depends on the volume of water. For one cup, you should not heat a lot of water or use a thermos, so as not to waste energy;
• The spiral needs to be cleaned regularly , since contamination will cause the water to heat up much longer, thereby consuming more electricity. Also, due to a large amount of scale, the spiral may stop working.

This is where the list of recommendations ends.

Also, you should not think that electrical energy consumption will decrease if you heat water on an electric stove, because in this case the process of heating water will be much longer than in an electric kettle (the heating process takes only three minutes). It follows that energy costs will be much higher.

Let's sum it up

Proper use of electric kettles is very useful for household activities. When purchasing, you need to take into account all the disadvantages and advantages of the device. And follow the recommendations listed above so as not to overpay for electricity.

The main parameter is power

The speed at which an electric kettle heats water is directly related to its power. Today, the power of most modern kettles ranges from 1000 to 3000 watts. The most common power is 2200 W. A kettle with such power can heat water quite quickly without causing voltage drops in the network. The amount of electricity required for this directly depends on the volume of the kettle - the larger it is, the higher its power, which allows you to quickly boil water.

How to determine power?

@Homeasking.com
Power ratings are always indicated on the packaging. For domestic use, 700–2200 W will be sufficient. This power is quite enough to quickly boil 2 liters of liquid. These teapots are in demand. The water boils in them on average in 3–4 minutes. You can choose a more powerful model, but be sure to consider the load on the wiring in the house.

Attention! When several powerful devices are constantly turned on at the same time, the wiring wears out faster and fails.

Types of heating elements

As noted earlier, the spiral installed in this electrical appliance can be closed or open.

Open element – ​​located in a horizontal position. Has a lower cost than a closed one. This element is characterized by the following disadvantages:

• Requires the kettle to be completely filled with water, otherwise there is a high probability of the spiral failing;
• If scale forms on it, it is difficult to clean, heats worse and distorts the taste of water;
• It does not have a fuse, which means the water can easily boil away completely. If you turn on a kettle with such a heating element without water, it will fail.

Closed element - devices equipped with such an element have a metal bottom. The price of such a device is approximately 10% higher than that of models with an open heating element. However, despite this, the closed element has a number of quite significant advantages:

• It is easy to descale;
• Allows heating of a small volume of water;
• Has an automatic switch that stops the kettle from working when the water boils;
• Equipped with a fuse that will not allow the device to turn on if there is no water in it.

Disadvantages of a closed heating element:

• A long boiling process due to the lack of direct contact of the coil with water;
• Quite a high noise level.

Reducing consumption

Electricity tariffs are rising, so consumers are concerned about the issue of reasonable savings. It is irrational to refuse kettles; boiling on an electric stove is not an option (slow and wasteful).

It is best to follow the recommendations of experts:

• Boil only the required amount of water. If you are planning to drink only one cup of hot tea at breakfast, you should not waste time “driving” the device by pouring water into it “under the neck”;
• turn off the unit from the network when it is not in use. A kettle plugged in, even when idle, consumes a small amount of energy;

• Regularly and thoroughly clean the heating element from scale. The thicker the coating on the spirals and on the walls of the flask, the slower the water boils and the more energy the device consumes (consumption increases up to 30%);
• for families where hot water is constantly required throughout the day (for preparing infant formula, when caring for sick or elderly people), it is better to consider the option of purchasing a thermopot (we talked about it in detail in an article on our website). Kettles with thermostats (heating to a certain temperature) are also practical and convenient.

Information about the technical characteristics of an electric kettle and the intricacies of boiling will help you avoid unnecessary energy consumption, and will also help you spend your own finances wisely and correctly.

Indicators that affect power

When purchasing a kettle, it would be a good idea to first find out what its power is. Standard indicators for this parameter are in the range from 700 to 3000 W.

In addition, the amount of electricity consumed by the device depends on:

• Volume of heated water;
• Types of installed heating element;
• Number of times the water is heated.

Consumption calculation

To find out how much electricity the device “takes”, carry out a simple calculation using formulas. Step by step steps:

• determine the power (indicated in the instructions and on the product packaging);
• learn experimentally the time required to boil water in a container;
• 60 minutes (the amount in one hour) is divided by the figure obtained during measurement. This number will be the required coefficient;
• The power indicator of the device is divided by the coefficient. The resulting number shows how much electricity the kettle consumes per boil;
• to find out the costs, the result is multiplied by the cost per kilowatt.

Consumption per day depends on the number of boils, but to find out consumption per month, multiply the resulting figures by 30 or 31 days.

Approximate calculations with specific numbers:

• The 1.5 liter model Redmond RK-V124, power 2200 W, boils for 5 minutes;
• Divide 60 minutes by 5 to get 12;
• Power 2200 divided by 12, we get 183.3 W. This is the cost for a single boil. If the kettle is used 6 times a day (relatively speaking), then the consumption will be 1099.8 W. Multiply by the cost of 1 kW, and then by the number of days in a month.

This is a standard calculation that helps determine the approximate energy consumption per month and the amount in rubles. In reality, the kettle can be boiled more or less times a day, or the water can only be heated.

Amount of energy consumed

An electric kettle is one of the household appliances that consumes the most electricity. As a rule, its power consumption is from one and a half to three kilowatts per hour.

For example, when using the device five times during the day, when heating or boiling water for three minutes, it will consume about 18 kW in a month. Compared to other household appliances, this figure initially does not seem so high. However, it is worth considering that most appliances can consume approximately the same amount of electricity when working around the clock, unlike a kettle, which is used for such a short time.

How much do other household electrical appliances consume?

For comparison, here is the average energy consumption of major household electrical appliances:

• washing machine – 20-25 kW/month;
• computer – 30 kW/month;
• refrigerator – 30 kW/month;
• TV - 35 kW/hour.

As you can see, the kettle does not have such a high power consumption. But if you are a little more careful and calculate the amount of time that all devices work, it will become clear that the kettle and iron consume the maximum amount of energy in the minimum amount of time.

How can you reduce energy consumption?

An electric kettle is classified as one of the most uneconomical devices due to the huge volumes of electricity that it can consume when operating around the clock. Using the following tips, you can quite significantly reduce the amount of electricity spent on the device:

• Do not leave the kettle connected to the outlet. Even if it just sits on a table or nightstand and doesn’t heat water, it still consumes electricity;
• Heat only the amount of water you need, as more volume will require more electricity. In order to boil a cup of tea, it is not necessary to fill the kettle full, and to preserve heat it is quite acceptable to use a thermos so as not to waste electricity;
• Clean the coil regularly from scale. A dirty heating element takes much longer to heat water, thereby consuming more electricity.

Some people believe that if you boil water using an electric stove. But think about whether this is as profitable as you think, because to heat water in this way you will need much more time, which means your electricity consumption will increase.

To summarize, it should be noted that the use of electric kettles helps to significantly save the time required to boil water and, if the above recommendations are followed, it will not be as energy-intensive as it might seem.

Household appliances Kettle

How to reduce energy consumption?

@Shop.by
If you calculate approximately how many boils we do per day, it turns out to be quite expensive per month. There are several tips to help reduce your electric kettle's energy consumption:

• Always unplug the kettle. Even at rest, it consumes a small amount of energy.
• Boil water as needed. If you need one glass of boiling water, do not pour 2 liters of water.
• Keep it clean and remove scale on time.
• Take a closer look at buying a thermopot if you boil water often. It heats the water to the desired temperature and constantly maintains it.

Conclusions: how to make the right choice

In our opinion, the best kettle is convenient and safe. We described the basic requirements for modern electric kettles just above. To these you can add your preferences regarding design, shape and color.

The volume should be selected based on the need for hot water. The optimal volume is about 2 liters. It makes no sense to take a device with a power of more than 2000 W: it does not save time, consumes a lot of energy, you need to carefully monitor the power supply - it is easy to overload.

We do not have a definite answer to the question about the material of the case; it is difficult to take into account and coordinate the tastes of users. The choice may be influenced by the price - plastic kettles are several hundred rubles cheaper, but their service life is not endless (3-4 years).

Among the manufacturers, we recommend well-known companies: Tefal, Philips, Bosch, Braun and others.