Cheaper to make coffee with Gas Hob or Electric Kettle ?
- Thread starter bullworth
- Start date
The amount of energy required is the same in both cases. So it depends purely on the relative efficiency and relative costs of the electricity and gas supply. I'd say the cost difference is negligable, at least to the extent that it's not worth worrying about. But I am ready to be reprimanded.
I carry out this experiment under strict laboratory conditions every Saturday morning.
I have en electric hob which has an element that looks about the same size as that in the kettle.
I put on two eggs to boil.
Simultaneously I fill enough water into the kettle ( about the same as for the eggs) and switch it on.
I always seem to have my coffee half drunk before the eggs come to the boil.
Hope this helps
I have en electric hob which has an element that looks about the same size as that in the kettle.
I put on two eggs to boil.
Simultaneously I fill enough water into the kettle ( about the same as for the eggs) and switch it on.
I always seem to have my coffee half drunk before the eggs come to the boil.
Hope this helps
Ergo you should boil your eggs in the kettle and then use the leftover water to make your coffee. QED.I carry out this experiment under strict laboratory conditions every Saturday morning.
I have en electric hob which has an element that looks about the same size as that in the kettle.
I put on two eggs to boil.
Simultaneously I fill enough water into the kettle ( about the same as for the eggs) and switch it on.
I always seem to have my coffee half drunk before the eggs come to the boil.
Hope this helps
Sorry to jump in with the reprimand
, but the unit cost of electricity is more expensive than that of gas. Looks like prices are generally around 18c a unit for electricity versus 5c for gas. Kettles are highly (~90%) efficient, so the majority of the energy consumed is transferred to the water. A pot on a gas hob is going to be less efficient. This you can tell yourself by the heat given off around the pot. This guy went perhaps a little too far working this out, but found that it took almost three times as much energy to boil the same amount of water in a pan over a gas hob.
So at those rates, yes, you'll use more energy using gas, but it's cheaper energy, and likely to be very close, but electricity will just edge it.
However, if it's a little chilly and your kitchen could do with being a little warmer, use the gas, as the heat lost through inefficiencies of heating a pot of water will be heating the room!
Leo
Gas hob will have approx 1kW output hob ring whilst kettle will be 3kW. Therefore it will take over three times longer for the gas to boil the water, taking into account efficiency of each.
Cost will also depend on whether gas is natural gas, butane gas or propane gas. Each varies in cost significantly.
Cost will also depend on whether gas is natural gas, butane gas or propane gas. Each varies in cost significantly.
Here is some guesstimates
According to the esb energy calculator
2.5kW electric kettle costs 32c to run for 1 hour.
A small ring on a gas cooker costs 7.4c to run for 1 hour.
(These prices are based on the ESB discount rates)
If we estimate that the kettle will take 5 minute and the gas hob 15 minutes to boil the water ( complete guess), then we have
electric kettle 2.6c
gas hob 1.85c
There numbers could be out by 100%, but it does show that the numbers are so small that it doesn't really matter.
According to the esb energy calculator
2.5kW electric kettle costs 32c to run for 1 hour.
A small ring on a gas cooker costs 7.4c to run for 1 hour.
(These prices are based on the ESB discount rates)
If we estimate that the kettle will take 5 minute and the gas hob 15 minutes to boil the water ( complete guess), then we have
electric kettle 2.6c
gas hob 1.85c
There numbers could be out by 100%, but it does show that the numbers are so small that it doesn't really matter.
Why dont you use the esb energy calculator to find out how much it costs to run a microwave for 2 minutes and compare ?