I’m after a hot water dispenser and see that there is a lot of variety in price and options.
Our situation is that my Russian wife boils her trusty electric kettle about 10 times a day for her hourly cup of tea, and I’d like to reduce the energy waste.
only fill the kettle and boil the amount of water needed. I am amazed how many almost fully fill a kettle to boil a cup of water. Excess water boiled = wasted energy and money.
use a microwave if only one cup is being boiled. It will be more efficient that using the minimum water level for boiling on a kettle, which is often more than a tea cup/coffee mug.
The above may require a little retraining to change one’s past behaviours.
With ours, we have noted where two cups fills to (it is to the top of a red rubber seal for the heating element). We fill it to this level when we brew a pot of tea or make two cuppas.
Our kettle can’t do one cup, as the element isn’t adequately covered. Microwave is used instead for one cuppa.
If the kettle has fill level window/indicator, it is possible to use a permanent marker to mark the fill line to that most often boiled. This can be used like we do looking in the kettle when filling.
Fully understand. We have many friends and family stay with us and we often say…you don’t need to fully fill the kettle to boil a single cuppa. It goes on deaf ears as habit seems to override immediate change.
OK , turn the tap on and count how many seconds to fill said cup , then fill the kettle with the same number of seconds
If you need more Number of cups “X” seconds = fill required
As the French say “voila” no wasted heating of water
Each morning I count to four as I fill our Kettle and guess what that is the right amount of water for 2 Royal Albert cups of tea (nice) , I spoil myself (haha)
You might consider this option - a single cup dispenser? I purchased this one (not cheap, but an Australian business) because it had several options; volume, desired temperature etc’.
Easy to purchase online, and delivered promptly!
“Made by an Aussie company: Designed, tested and shipped (for free!) from Melbourne and supported by our local customer support team”
I’m still happy with my $79 Kmart gadget, and I would probably be happy enough to replace it with the current option from there. However, keep watching, because I bought a small air fryer from there, and then you could not get it anymore, but recently it returned. Maybe the hot water dispenser will, too.
Our semi-auto coffee maker has a hot water option with the steamer. It’s relatively quick to heat up. It will take one-two minutes to deliver the hot water - not that different to any other instant hot water heater that is not on all the time. Assumes one likes to make espresso coffee at home.
Are there significant savings here?
The science says it takes 168kJoules of energy to heat 500ml (2 standard cups) of water from 20C to 100C. Or 1.68MJ of energy for ten lots.
On that basis 10 cups per day bringing 500ml of water up to 100C each time is using about 0.47kWh or around 19c of electricity per day (assumes 40c/kWh). Hopefully one can adjust from that point what one might save if boiling more each time or less. 500ml is around the minimum mark in many electric kettles. So one might save around 10c per day if boiling 500ml and using just 250ml. IE $36.50 yearly. Far greater ($109.50) if one is boiling 1 litre to make 250 ml for the cuppa. Feel free to adjust your savings according to your actual electricity billing unit rate and kettle fill.
An aside: Whether using a microwave, kettle or other there are inefficiencies and losses in addition to what one might actually use. To consider microwaves for small amounts of water, food etc have significant losses. Both in the electronics that generate the microwaves as well as in heating of the surrounding chamber and containers. One source suggests 50-70% efficient depending on design. Heating small volumes/ amounts also tends to be less efficient than large volumes.
In comparison electric kettles heat water directly, but also suffer losses through heating of the kettle and body. Any electrical instant hot water heater will also have some losses in heating up the internals and piping in contact with the water.
A smaller kettle may be the cheapest solution and deliver similar savings in electricity.
When I first thought about the ideal appliance, I imagined an insulated one (so spare heated water doesn’t cool back down too quickly) and induction heating, but apparently, there is no such thing.
What I found on the market claims to heat just about a cup or two instantly within seconds.
Please excuse the numbers. A standard metric cup is 250ml. A large cup or mug depending might be 300ml to 400ml. At 100% efficiency the science says one needs 82kJ of energy to bring 250ml of water (one standard cup) up to 100C (boiling point). A standard power point can deliver 2.3kW at full load. No heating method is 100% efficient, but if it was the best one might expect is 36seconds to deliver the 250ml of boiling water. To expect any instantaneous hot water system that plugs in to a standard power point is more likely to take 1 minute to fill a standard metric cup.
The marketing of delivering hot water in seconds? Likely a misleading reference to how long one has to wait for the first flow of hot water. Reality is few household appliances are designed to take the maximum 2.3kW of power from a single power point (aka GPO).
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My experience with these products is limited and very much dated but the claim is often based on what is a small trickle of hot water that appears in a few seconds, and for some products does not ‘improve’. It is nothing like the flow one expects even from a fridge door dispenser let alone a tap.
The more honest ones are faster than kettles for small quantities mainly because of the small quantities they serve, and 30 seconds are in fact ‘seconds’
Some years ago, when living alone, I was also looking for something for the numerous mugs of instant coffee … I found a small electric jug/kettle made by Tefal, which has a max capacity of 0.8 litres. It has a fill level window, marked at 0.5l and 0.8l (max), and will still work when filled to a tad under the 0.5l mark. Just perfect, particularly as the favourite mug holds about 0.35l, total, without leaving room for the milk! I bought a 2nd one shortly after, for the ‘just in case’ they became no longer available. Which, of course happened.
Unfortunately they don’t seem to make them any more.
HOWEVER, if you search the usual places for “mini kettle” or “0.8l kettle” or ask your favourite question-answerer “What is the smallest kettle?” you will find a number of little electric kettles with a max capacity of around 0.7l-0.8l.
They see to vary in price from $30 up to nearly $200 [!!}, and are sometimes called Travel Kettles.
The only thing you need to check is that the ‘Travel Kettle"‘ models have a 240volt plug/lead/adapter, as some of them appear to be specifically designed for caravans etc and are primarily 12volt.
Most have a press button to start, and automatic cut-out when boiled. These are ideal when you need a small amount of boiled water, and have the advantage of being much smaller/shorter than your average electric kettle, and can be fitted in a smaller place on the bench, or put on a small shelf slightly above the most convenient power-point in the kitchen. Sounds like the sort of item which might be appropriate.
If all else fails, there’s always the old-fashioned ‘milk saucepan’, which is small and has a pouring lip. They used to come without a lid, but you can usually find a lid amongst your saucepan sets which is near enough. Mine is ancient, and unfortunately is aluminium, so doesn’t work on the induction plate, and although I haven’t specifically looked, I’d be surprised if someone hasn’t recently made one suitable for induction plates or cooktops.
Appreciate the offer, it was just a nominal cost towards the high end of what some consumers pay. The lower the actual rate the less the potential savings or benefit of changing how one provides hot water for a cup of tea. Also a very different cost if one has Solar PV and is receiving but a few cents for feed in.
Electricity retailers charge between 24c and 43c for every kWh of electricity used, depending on your state, electricity distribution network and electricity tariff.
It back as with most others I found none actually boil only heat not to the degrees it says it does . So I fill a 1.2 litre thermos every morning so only boil it once per day twice if I have visitors
Possibly one of the most frugal and low cost solutions. Less when already a spare quality thermos flask to hand. Depending on which type of tea one may be more than happy with the outcome. Brew temperatures vary with tea type.
Some however insist on freshly heated well oxygenated water for the best outcome. YMMV.
P.S. I make my green tea by not quite filling the mug and adding a small quantity of cold water to drop the temperature before adding the tea bag or ….
We’ve had a few over recent years. First 2 were KMart jobs. The first was good functionally. Very hot water, but only lasted ? 8 months or similar. Returned under warranty for refund. The second was the current KMart one & didn’t like it at all. Water is nowhere near boiling. Our current one we are very happy with, we will see about longevity but functionally we like it a lot. Water is boiling as it is dispensed. It takes longer than the continuous styles as pretty sure it actually internally boils the “cup” of water it dispenses. The only downsides are: that it is UK INTL so needs a Aus plug adapter & I guess since it is “boiling” it can splash a little as it dispenses & it take a bit longer than continuous (maybe) - 50secs (max) first cup - if you do a 2nd cup it will be 30secs. For two of us in the house this thing is perfect & very convenient. Max cup is 350ml or thereabouts. We use a metal coffee milk jug to dispense into.
Mine actually heats more, I think. It is only supposed to heat to 25, 70, 85 or 98. But I have to add cold water along with the coffee mate I use instead of milk/cream, because I can’t drink it straight up. Even then I have to leave it a while. 25 is tepid, but would do as a drink of water that wont freeze your sensitive teeth on a cold winter’s day. I’ve never used 70 for anything, it might do for herbal teas, but I tend to use 85 for coffee and 98 for tea. YMMV.
Breville Australia don’t list that model VKJ318 but do list the following. Note the current Australian product is significantly cheaper at several of the major retailers when compared to the Breville Australia on line price.
Buying and importing mains electrical appliances through Amazon or an Amazon reseller has risks. In the instance of the Breville VKJ318 it most likely does not have Australian Certification. Hence the Australian purchaser - consumer customer is legally responsible as the importer for ensuring it complies. Breville UK specify the model rated power 3kW and 13Amp nominal power draw 240V AC. This is substantially greater than the 10amp design rating (2.3kW at 230V AC) of the standard Australian household power outlet. Despite the Seller listed by Amazon suggesting the product is an international model this does not assure the purchaser the product will meet Australian or any other Nations standards.
Buyer be aware. The UK suggested model has been around for more than a decade. It would have been impossible for Breville to import it to Australia in its UK format. Breville may have in the past under a different model number with a lower powered heating element and Australian power plug with a certification for that model only. This would not cover legally the UK version for use in Australia if Breville has done so. The more recent Breville Australian product while more expensive includes a digital display and readily adjustable settings. To consider there are significant advantages with warranty and service/repair when purchasing the Australian Breville alternative from an Australian Retailer in person or genuine all Australian on line supplier.
P.S. There is a more detailed discussion of the risks and compliance requirements when buying and importing electrical appliances.
. One saving grace is that she used to have such a heater before she moved to Australia so she’ll probably agree to use it.
