What consumes more energy per given time, a kettle or your washing machine?
Surprisingly, it’s your kettle! Most kettles use above 2 kW of energy when on, whereas most modern washing machines use less than 1 kW. This is because water takes a lot of energy to boil so if you boil a lot of water and only use a bit, you waste A LOT of energy.
If for every hot drink that’s made, twice as much water is boiled than needed, a house of 6 people would waste the same amount of energy over an academic year as a light bulb left on for two months. Imagine your housemate left their room light on for the rest of Term 2, wouldn’t you get angry about them wasting money?
It’s easy to overcome this issue. Measure out the amount of water you need in a cup prior to boiling it to not waste energy. That can save you £14 a year!
TOP TIP: Flick the kettle switch as soon as the water starts boiling - this saves an extra few precious seconds of energy!
