Yahoo Finance Common kitchen mistake that could be costing you $150
Read this before you make your next cuppa.
Savvy Aussies could save themselves $150 a year if they follow this hot tip for keeping costs down in the kitchen. Energy saving TikTokers called on people not to make "this mistake with your kettle" in a recent video, revealing that filling it up all the way can significantly add to your electricity bill.
According to Jenny Edwards and Lish Fejer, who post as @fixitchicks, when it comes to filling up the kettle, every millimetre counts on your power bill. “Heating water is super energy-intensive, whether it’s your hot water system or your spa bath or your kettle," they said.
Consumer money saving expert Joel Gibson agreed, telling Yahoo Finance that at 5.5 cents, boiling a full kettle costs about four times what a single cup costs to boil at 1.4c. Now, while it all depends on how often you reach for a cup of tea, prices can really add up.
Do you have a story to tell? Contact yahoo.finance.au@yahooinc.com
“If you boil the kettle 10 times a day, you’ll save about 41 cents,” Gibson explained. “Do that every day, and it’s $150 a year!” Gibson said he'd never taken the time to work it out before and even he was surprised by how much you could save.
"It’s a good reminder that being energy efficient can save big money over time,” Gibson said.
RELATED
Instead of topping the kettle up, Edwards and Fejer encouraged people to fill up a mug with water and pour that into the kettle.
“So just boil what you need or heat what you need,” they said. “And you you don’t have to fill up the cup every time you want an actual cup of tea. Just do it the first few times so you know how much it ‘feels like’ in your kettle and how much is enough.”
More energy-saving tips for the home
It may seem like more hassle than it's worth, especially if you’re a big TV viewer, but turning devices off at the wall can make a huge difference to power usage too.
“Devices on standby, aka using ‘vampire power’, can use up to 15 per cent of your power bill,” Gibson told Yahoo Finance. “So yes, maybe you don’t need to turn things off at the powerpoint if you use them regularly, but if they’re only in occasional use it’s a good idea.
“Good habits can really add up. Whether it’s not overfilling the kettle, using insulation to prevent heat loss from your home in winter, or keeping the fridge and oven doors closed as much as possible.”
Edwards and Fejer have shared numerous energy-saving tips online including using bubble wrap to double-glaze your windows. They said the method is one of the “cheapest, easiest and most effective” ways to insulate your windows.
The savvy duo also said dryers are one of the worst appliances you can have, as they “chew through money”. Instead, the pair recommended hanging up clothes from curtain rails and spreading out the lighter items on the floor, ideally in any sunshine coming through the windows, for a free drying service.
Get the latest Yahoo Finance news - follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
