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How much energy does a kettle use?

On average a kettle uses the same amount of energy to boil a litre of water as it takes to run a fridge for about seven hours, so it’s a good idea to boil as much water as you need. The British boil their kettles on average four times a day, so you should buy a kettle that's as energy efficient as possible.

A slow boiling water kettle isn’t necessarily the most inefficient one. Some kettles waste energy, continuing to boil for up to 10 seconds before the automatic cut off switches the kettle off – a period we refer to as 'overboil'.

Manufacturers have created alternative products which aim to make it easier to save energy.