How much does a kettle cost to run?
A typical kettle costs about 2.6p per boil to run. At 35 boils a week that is 92.1p a week, or £47.90 a year, based on 3,000 W for 2 minutes (0.10 kWh) at 26.32p per kWh.
Adjust for your kettle
Worked example
3,000 W is 3 kW. Running for 2 minutes (2 ÷ 60 ≈ 0.033 hours) uses 3 × 0.033 ≈ 0.10 kWh. At 26.32p per kWh that costs 2.6p.
At five boils a day a kettle costs about £47.90 a year. Ten unnecessary extra boils a week would add roughly £13.69 a year.
How to cut the cost
A kettle is cheap per boil, so the cost comes from volume. Boil only the water you need (keep the element covered), and descale it now and then, since limescale can make the element work harder.
Questions
How much does it cost to boil a kettle once?
A typical 3 kW kettle running for about two minutes uses 0.10 kWh, which costs 2.6p at 26.32p per kWh.
Does a kettle use a lot of power?
It draws a lot while it runs, about 3 kW, but only for a couple of minutes at a time, so a single boil costs very little. The total depends on how often you boil it.
Other appliances
Electricity rate: Ofgem energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026, Great Britain average, Direct Debit, default tariff: 26.32p per kWh. Your own tariff and region may differ, so change the rate above to match your bill. Appliance figures are typical estimates; your appliance's energy label or manual is more accurate. Last checked 2026-11-03. Next review: January 2027, when Ofgem announces the next quarter's cap.