Kettle on Gas vs Electric Kettle

Spies

I was thinking about refilling the kettle immediately to make use of residual heat as well. 

It's silly the measure we are going to to save a penny here and there 

Gobsh

Gas is the energy that's risen the most in price although in not sure which is cheapest.
I can say it is much cheaper to boil one drink in the microwave than kettle, although you must must must stir it when it comes out of the microwave because it can literally explode

Gobsh

I have to wonder about all the speculation when surely someone has a smart meter or maybe I'm not the only one that still hasn't converted

Captainkirk54

Electric induction hobs were a great idea for safety etc but are the least efficient of all. 

Why is this? Where does the waste energy go?

There is no direct electrical connection or contact with a hot element - the heat is transferred by electromagnetism. So you have to create magnetic energy first which then interacts with the metal pan and produces heat energy. Great for safety - very poor for thermal efficiency.

Anybody have an electric toothbrush and try to charge in a bathroom shaver socket. It does not fully charge and the transformer in the socket overheats. The toothbrush sits on the charger but there are no contacts because its in a bathroom which would be unsafe. It charges by induction and the magnetic induction current overloads the basic shaver socket - special high power saver sockets for charging toothbrushes in the  bathroom are available. They have both  shaver and toothbrush logos on them

Sea_Shell

I did the "maths" in that other thread.

Electric kettle was faster and used less energy.
But gas still worked out cheaper.

Assuming the ratio of gas v electric costs don't alter too much, that should hold true going forward.


Save the planet, use electric
Save money, use gas!!!
You choose!! 😉

QrizB

Gobsh said:

I can say it is much cheaper to boil one drink in the microwave than kettle ...

Considering that we've already shown that using a kettle is at least 75% efficient, it's not possible for it to be "much cheaper" using a microwave. It could even be more expensive.

Edit to add:

Here is a blog by someone who has done the experiment:
https://blog.dchidell.com/2017/06/22/boiling-water-kettle-vs-microwave/

He concluded that:

This means that the kettle is about 56% MORE efficient than the microwave! I wasn't expecting a result anywhere near as conclusive.

QrizB

And see also:
http://insideenergy.org/2016/02/23/boiling-water-ieq/

Inside Energy spoke with Tom Williams, a researcher at the National Renewable Energy Lab, to break down the rough efficiencies:

• A microwave is about 50 percent efficient. Most of the energy is lost in the process of converting electricity to microwaves (which are part of the electromagnetic spectrum).
• An electric stovetop is about 70 percent efficient, although that varies widely depending on the type of pot or kettle you use. Most of the energy is lost heating the air around the stove.
• An electric teakettle is about 80 percent efficient, although again this varies from kettle to kettle. Electric kettles are generally very well insulated, and the heating coils sit directly in the water, so less heat is lost to the air.
• An induction stove or hot plate is about 85 percent efficient. It creates an electromagnetic current directly in a pot to generate heat, losing very little to the air.

Spies

Sea_Shell said:

I did the "maths" in that other thread.

Electric kettle was faster and used less energy.
But gas still worked out cheaper.

Assuming the ratio of gas v electric costs don't alter too much, that should hold true going forward.


Save the planet, use electric
Save money, use gas!!!
You choose!! 😉

Save the planet, use half as much gas as it would take a CCGT to create the same amount of electricity... 

meinnit

Spies said:

Sea_Shell said:

I did the "maths" in that other thread.

Electric kettle was faster and used less energy.
But gas still worked out cheaper.

Assuming the ratio of gas v electric costs don't alter too much, that should hold true going forward.


Save the planet, use electric
Save money, use gas!!!
You choose!! 😉

Save the planet, use half as much gas as it would take a CCGT to create the same amount of electricity... 

Or wait for an Agile price drop to enjoy your cup of tea. Save the planet and your money

jrawle

Captainkirk54 said:

Gas is the best and mot efficient heat energy source  and traditionally has been the cheapest for water and central heating and cooking.

But gas isn't the most efficient heat energy source. In this example of a kettle, it's less than half as efficient. Similarly, gas central heating is less efficient than electric heating.

What you really mean is what the second half of your sentence says. Gas is a cheaper heat source, because the cost per kWh is much lower. Sorry if it seems pedantic, but gas isn't more efficient, it's more cost effective or more economical.

As others have said in this thread, choose gas to save money, or electricity to save the planet!