A Nice Cuppa

A Must Have For Tea Drinkers - The Eco Kettle

Posted by Jaay Dunlap
January 10, 2007

Whether you are an environmentalist who enjoys a nice cuppa tea, a hot tea drinker on a budget trying to cut back on your electric bill or like me, the occasional hot tea drinker just looking for a stylish electric kettle, the Eco Kettle might be perfect for your kitchen. At the risk of sounding like an advertisment, which I assure you I am not, the Eco Kettle is pretty darn cool!

If you want to talk statistics, according to the EcoKettle website, the kettle contains two separate reservoirs which allows you to more accurately measure and heat the appropriate amount of water needed, which “could save consumers 30% of energy compared with their normal kettle.”

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/01/eco_kettle_by_p_1.php

http://www.ecokettle.com/AFTERSALES.htm

In UK online outlets, prices were found in the neighborhood of £39.95 (US $68.72).

Why could we not simply pour the right amount of water into an ordinary stovetop kettle and save energy without buying more “stuff?” Well, we could, but the tradeoff is not that simple. When you heat a stovetop kettle, you are also heating the shell and handle, in addition to the water inside. Additionally, a stove top element leaves residual heat in the resistance coil and its cover tube. These inefficiencies are reduced by using a plug-in electric kettle, which is not “cordless.” [Choosing a “cordless” plug-in kettle, the kind with a removable base, means lowered efficiency.] The built-in measuring capacity of the Eco Kettle adds convenience and precision. We should hope that the design also provides for an automatic shut-off when the water reaches boiling point, and insulation to keep water hot until that phone call is finished. Bundling features is an advantage if it leads to a personal enjoyment that encourages conservation … to a point that is price determined.

We noticed that other electric teakettles, with many features comparable except for the dual reservoir, are priced in the $40 to $70 range. Eco Kettle is on the high end, but not unreasonable, in other words.

Conclusion: Eco Kettle could be a good value if you don’t have a functioning electric kettle and indeed want one. It does not make sense, however, to replace an existing electric kettle on the theory that the energy savings will make up for the resources needed to produce two electric kettles.