What does it REALLY cost to run your energy guzzling household appliances? (Less than you think)

maryb

I've seen differing views on whether it is cheaper to use the stove top kettle.  Gas is much cheaper per kwh but there is some loss of efficiency using an open flame and it takes longer.  I managed to find my cooker blurb and looked at the rating for the different rings.  My wok burner ring is 5kwh but if I use that, although it is quick, I have to turn the flames down otherwise it's licking up the sides so I can't be sure how much it is using.  The next biggest ring is 3kwh and that doesn't have the flames licking up the sides but takes longer than the wok burner ring.  So I'm assuming when I use the wok burner ring turned down it's using 4kwh.  A full kettle takes 3 .5 minutes versus the electric kettle which takes 2.  So using your figures for electric kettles that would be 3p for electric.  Gas is 7.517p per kwh/7.89 with VAT.  so .23 kwh at that price is 0.18p.  Just over half.

I'm ignoring 'green' issues here.  If the sun is shining or the wind is blowing the electricity would be more likely to be from renewables.  But otherwise it's probably ultimately gas fired anyway.  I say probably because nuclear still provides quite a lot of base load.  But I'm probably like most people and boil kettles at times of day when the demand on the grid is high

marycanary

This is a very interesting thread @jobbingmusician. I agree there seems to be a lot of confusion about the cost of various items. There was a post recently where someone said that charging a mobile phone might be the difference between heating and eating for some working people, but figures were not given.

Perhaps you will get more maths if you post on the Energy Board, if your husband is an Electrical Engineer and he can not help I doubt anyone here will be able to do better. On the other hand, could it be that maths is not your actual reason for asking for the figures? If your post results in a general acceptance that figures should be provided on posts which say x is cheaper than y or it costs £x to use y appliance, cook a meal etc then so much the better in my view.  

Effician

jobbingmusician said:

Effician said:

TheAble said:

Boiling a litre of water in a 3kw kettle takes around 2 minutes in my experience. So that's 1p. Browning some meat, which will make for a tastier dish - another 1p,

Boiling 1l of water will uses approx 0.2kWh of electric ( water at 10c to 100c) , at the new cap rate that would be about 5.5p.

Would certainly work out cheaper using stove kettle on gas hob.

More difficult to quantify the meat browning as so many variables.

How do you work this out?  

I agree that boiling water in a kettle takes about 2 min.  A kettle will not draw more than 3kW, and I think we can agree that the kettle is likely to be working flat out for these 2 minutes, actually drawing 3 kW. So this is 1/30th of an hour multiplied by 3Kw - a tenth of a kWh.  Which is about 3p  (2.9p at 29p a kWh), not 5.5p or 1p.    

Let me know if I am wrong, and folks, please show your workings so that we know how you are coming up with the figures you are quoting.  Most of the websites and information out there which are misleading people contain statements without showing how the figures are arrived at.  I know we are talking pennies in this precise instance, but we are also talking about people who don't have these pennies.  

I stand corrected, i foolishly belived what i found as the most common answer when gooogling, having just done a test with my ihd 1l of 10c water used 0.12kwh so 3.3p.

Back to your original post do you have any actual costings ( measured with a monitor not guestimates on energy consumption) as in how much it would cost to cook a 1.8kg chicken in a slow cooker or a air fryer.

jobbingmusician

Hi folks, just to say I am manically busy with Bach stuff until tomorrow evening, but I am reading and appreciating, and will answer specific points (and post a copy on the Energy Board) when I have a moment.  Please keep posting!

TheAble

jobbingmusician said:

Effician said:

TheAble said:

Boiling a litre of water in a 3kw kettle takes around 2 minutes in my experience. So that's 1p. Browning some meat, which will make for a tastier dish - another 1p,

Boiling 1l of water will uses approx 0.2kWh of electric ( water at 10c to 100c) , at the new cap rate that would be about 5.5p.

Would certainly work out cheaper using stove kettle on gas hob.

More difficult to quantify the meat browning as so many variables.

How do you work this out?  

I agree that boiling water in a kettle takes about 2 min.  A kettle will not draw more than 3kW, and I think we can agree that the kettle is likely to be working flat out for these 2 minutes, actually drawing 3 kW. So this is 1/30th of an hour multiplied by 3Kw - a tenth of a kWh.  Which is about 3p  (2.9p at 29p a kWh), not 5.5p or 1p.    

Let me know if I am wrong, and folks, please show your workings so that we know how you are coming up with the figures you are quoting.  Most of the websites and information out there which are misleading people contain statements without showing how the figures are arrived at.  I know we are talking pennies in this precise instance, but we are also talking about people who don't have these pennies.  

3p more like it yes sorry. Forgot to multiply through by 3 (3000w kettle rather than 1000w).

Ultimately it takes a certain amount of energy to heat the water. You could heat it in the SC but it would use the same amount of energy for all that it heats more slowly.

Agree definitely better to use a gas hob kettle if you have a gas hob. Wish I did!

Effician

TheAble said:

Agree definitely better to use a gas hob kettle if you have a gas hob. Wish I did!

We've had nearly 6 months of free hot water by having a kettle sat on the free fueled log burner, fortunately on E7 so will fill the flasks at cheaper rate during warmer months..

Katiehound

otb666 said:

Surely if the cooker is jammed packed it will work harder than with one or items in it.  

Sorry no, I totally disagree with that. The oven heats up to a set temperature  and carries on at that temperature until you either adjust the temp or switch off. Batch baking is very efficient- cooking one item is very wasteful.

Totally different with a microwave: the more you cook , the longer it takes

twopenny

An interesting thread. Being ancient I've been through multiple times like this so amassed various workarounds.
Seldom though do all costs go up as they have now so all ideas are welcome.
I used to batch bake/cook and freeze to cover 6 weeks and only shop for fresh so avoiding spontaneous purchases. Now that's a problem.
I now bake small cakes that take 12mins. I buy good pre made when it's on discount, portion up and freeze. Only needs microwaving. My electric bills have dropped.
Hob cooked Pasta dishes, salsa, some added protein. Baked potatoes microwave etc. 
Always a fleece on the settee, just sitting on it ups your temperature. A hot water bottle from the left over hot water in the kettle. The old fleecy onsies (or toosies) make a huge difference.
Heating is the most difficult in winter. Most economical is all day at low temperature and the right clothes.
The gadgets we use are the least controllable. They use what they use. Short showers defo. Even a basin wash.  Washing once a week on low temperature. Each of the last will keep you clean for less.
Tvs , digi recorders are on standby. It is possible to switch them off at the mains at night. Just inconvenient as it's not instant startt up.
Each small amount builds up.
Ps, standing charge for me is related to consumption I noticed recently. That should be the same for meter and basic accounts.

bouicca21

Today’s results.  

Kettle for small pot of tea plus 2 slice toaster which was run twice as the bread was frozen, 0.2 units (unit = kWh).  

Slow cooker:  veg and meat browned on gas hob, usage so small I couldn’t get an accurate reading.  All went hot into my mini slow cooker (1.5 litre).  First 2 hours took 0.5 units; the next hour took 0.2 units.

Effician

Here's two ways of cooking a whole 1.8kg chicken:-

For a proper roasted chicken , sharp 40l micro /convection oven 40 mins & 1.5kWh =  40p at svr

Or faux roasted chicken, Pressure cook for 40 mins = 0.5kWh + 0.3kWh under the grill for colour  = 20p at svr.