The cost of boiling a kettle, running a Wi-Fi router, and powering a floor fan

[Danie_V]

I was interested in seeing cup of water by electric kettle vs microwave vs gas stove vs induction top stove. My wife is claiming that her boiling water in a flat top kettle on the induction top stove is cheaper than using the kettle. Well this article was not going to settle that argument for us ;-) But give the price of electricity more articles on this topic would be great.

Oh wait, I have solar energy so just realised both my options cost 0c operationally.... But still...

 

[PsyWulf]

I was interested in seeing cup of water by electric kettle vs microwave vs gas stove vs induction top stove. My wife is claiming that her boiling water in a flat top kettle on the induction top stove is cheaper than using the kettle. Well this article was not going to settle that argument for us ;-) But give the price of electricity more articles on this topic would be great.

Oh wait, I have solar energy so just realised both my options cost 0c operationally.... But still...

Well the induction is ~85% vs kettle 80% vs Microwave ~70% efficiency

 

[jannievanzyl]

For a test, tried to turn on as much stuff as I could.....pretty effed when it comes to funding Eskom....

 

[PsyWulf]

For a test, tried to turn on as much stuff as I could.....pretty effed when it comes to funding Eskom....

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Hard running a tanning salon for an entire metro

 

[RedViking]

Get a good flask. Boil the kettle once and you have enough hot water for the day.

 

[mypetcow]

Bunch of amateurs using kill-a-watt meter.
Professionals use IoT sensors.

How much does a gaming PC use?
How much does a PS4 use?

Here is my readings from 17:00pm to 02:00am

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I have a bunch of smart plugs & Sonoff POW2 flashed with Tasmota around the house.
RPI4 4GB with Docker containers:

• mosquitto mqtt
• Postgresql database
• Grafana
• mqtt2postgresql

I wrote the mqtt2postgresql python script.
I think Home Assistant can be configured to save to a database.
I search of github shows a few mqtt2sql apps.

Sheesh I don't even see NodeRED in that list. You must be a pro
Any tips on what smart plugs to get and how to set up the smart plug/Sonoff/Tasmota integration to get nice graphs like yours?

 

[bwana]

Get a good flask. Boil the kettle once and you have enough hot water for the day.

Why? There shouldn't be difference in the amount of energy you use heating 4 x 250ml though out the day than 1 x 1000ml and trying to keep it hot in a flask. I say trying because there is always going to be some heat loss. And what happens if you don't have that fourth cup. You heated it up for nothing.

I have a bunch of smart plugs & Sonoff POW2 flashed with Tasmota around the house.

I've often wondered how much electricity do all of those [always on] smart plugs and switches use? My house is littered with them.

 

[Captain Beer]

Cellular chargers please? Because although I know there may be more than 5 Billion out there in active use, there has been more energy spent mindlessly telling us to unplug them to save electricity.

My Samsung charger sits at about 2W during a fast charge, drops to 0W if there's no load connected.

 

[netstrider]

Mate of mine's company recently added solar and battery backup to their building
When people started complaining about not being able to make coffee during loadsheds the boss laughed and said "I'm not paying half a mil extra for you to make coffee. Suck it up"

Gas works fine for making coffee too.

 

[G.A.S]

Because of Voltage..
Their Watts is lower at same amperage..
Because of lower watts their heat per minute transferred is lower..
Because of that lower transfer their time to boil is longer..

The physics hasn't changed,the water still needed the same Watt/Joule added to boil,be it taking 30 minutes or 3

For christ sakes my ignore list can only get so long

At the end of the day it comes down to what you say: 120V is provided by the grid and most circuits are designed for 15A or 20A. Thus they have to design appliances to work accordingly.

Could someone just up the amps by lowering the resistance to use higher wattage? Sure. But the wiring and outlets in homes just aren’t designed for that.

 

[kolaval]

Nee man. Where are the washing machines and dishwashers?

Probably busy with the kids?

 

[jannievanzyl]

Why? There shouldn't be difference in the amount of energy you use heating 4 x 250ml though out the day than 1 x 1000ml and trying to keep it hot in a flask. I say trying because there is always going to be some heat loss. And what happens if you don't have that fourth cup. You heated it up for nothing.


I've often wondered how much electricity do all of those [always on] smart plugs and switches use? My house is littered with them.

A lot, in my case. Something I never considered when I built the system. I started with a rule to say that every circuit must be dimmed or switched, right down to individual plug level.

This resulted in a lot of big DB boards, filled with electronic dimmers and relays with additional high current relays for most plug circuits. Every light switch is a microcontroller as well.

End result; significant 'vampire' current.....

 

[Ockie]

Probably busy with the kids?

 

[rh1]

And in my house they just have to boil a full kettle every time. But apparently it's more convenient to waste money and stand there waiting 4 or 5 minutes to make 1 cup of coffee.

Charge them R4 per kettle.

 

[rh1]

Because of Voltage..
Their Watts is lower at same amperage..
Because of lower watts their heat per minute transferred is lower..
Because of that lower transfer their time to boil is longer..

The physics hasn't changed,the water still needed the same Watt/Joule added to boil,be it taking 30 minutes or 3

For christ sakes my ignore list can only get so long

This, nicely explained in this video:

Edit:

I was interested in seeing cup of water by electric kettle vs microwave vs gas stove vs induction top stove. My wife is claiming that her boiling water in a flat top kettle on the induction top stove is cheaper than using the kettle. Well this article was not going to settle that argument for us ;-) But give the price of electricity more articles on this topic would be great.

Oh wait, I have solar energy so just realised both my options cost 0c operationally.... But still...

It also addresses this issue

 

[Cranjus McBasketball]

Charge them R4 per kettle.

Screw that 5. Accounting for inflation

 

[PsyWulf]

This, nicely explained in this video:

Edit:

It also addresses this issue

I posted another of his videos for the voltage thing good taste in subscription

 

[leon.davibe]

Nee man. Where are the washing machines and dishwashers?

My Washing mashine klaps 1000w peak
And my dishwasher klaps approx 2500w when heating,

The geyser is the real bad guy
Assuming it takes approx 2hrs to reheat

That would mean R20.50 per bath

 

[leon.davibe]

When getting any form of battery backup, dont waste your money buying half arsed solutions

Get an inverter that can later take solar panels , and buy lithium

Eventually ,you will just wish you went there first

If you already have one of the cheapies
Use them on the slower 10A charge option, they weren't build for abuse

 

[leon.davibe]

No

It takes a set amount of Joules to heat water from 26C - 100C
In the US kettles run at 120V so takes twice as long to heat as our 230V as it needs the same energy input
Same premise with Gas,it has a set amount of Joule per KG gas (each energy conversion has it's own loss of course but we're talking ~60% vs ~70% energy efficiency not 50% vs 100%)

Technology Connections did an interesting video on why Yanks don't use Electric Kettles to Boil water

Yea to save power , boil just what you need ie just enough for the amount of cups you wanna make