PlugFacts

Checked against official sources on 25 October 2026

Maintained by Karan S.

How much does an electric kettle cost to run?

About $1.38 a month

for a 1,500 W kettle used 10 minutes a day in , at 18.16 cents per kWh.

Draws while on
1,500 W
Costs per hour
$0.27

An electric kettle draws a lot of power while it's on, about 1,500 W for a common US model and 3,000 W for a UK one. But it only runs for a few minutes and then switches itself off, so a kettle rarely costs much. What you pay mostly depends on how much water you boil.

A kettle runs at full power until the water boils, then switches off, so the cost depends on how long it's on. The 10 minutes a day is our example, roughly a few boils, not a measured average. Change it in the calculator.

See popular buys that cut the cost ↓

Work out your own electric kettle

Draws about 1,500 W

minutes

cents per kWh

Per day$0.05
Per month$1.38
Per year$17

Something else with a plug? Use the running cost calculator. Want your own appliance's exact figure? A plug-in electricity usage monitor shows the real kWh it uses.

Popular buys that cut the cost

What people reading this page usually look for next. Links open your country's Amazon store.

Electric kettle

Boils water faster and cheaper than a stove.

View on Amazon

Temperature-control kettle

Heat only as hot as you need, not always to boiling.

View on Amazon

PlugFacts may earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, PlugFacts earns from qualifying purchases. It never changes our numbers. How we make money.

US kettles vs UK and European kettles

Rated power from each manufacturer's product page. UK and European homes run on 230 V, so their kettles can draw about twice the power and boil faster. Costs below use the price you set above.

Kettle Power while on Cost per hour
US kettle, 120 V (Hamilton Beach 1.7 L) 1,500 W $0.27
US high-power kettle, 120 V (Breville Crystal Clear) 1,800 W $0.33
UK and Europe kettle, 230 V (Russell Hobbs 1.7 L) 3,000 W $0.54

What it costs in other countries

For a 1,500 W kettle used 10 minutes a day, at each country's official average electricity price.

CountryPrice per kWhPer monthPer year
United States18.16 cents$1.38$17
United Kingdom26.32 pence£2.00£24
Germany36.18 cents€2.75€33
Ireland38.71 cents€2.94€35
France24.85 cents€1.89€23
Spain25.09 cents€1.91€23
Italy31.42 cents€2.39€29
Netherlands24.40 cents€1.86€22

Prices from the U.S. EIA, Ofgem and Eurostat; see Sources below. To see another country, pick it at the top of the page; we cover 51.

How to cut the cost of running your electric kettle

  1. Boil only what you need

    The kettle runs at full power until the water boils, so less water means less time on. Russell Hobbs says one cup takes 47 seconds in its 3,000 W kettle.

  2. Don't reboil water you've let go cold

    Use the water while it's hot, or pour what's left into a flask, rather than boiling the same water twice.

What can power it

A kettle draws its full rated power the whole time it's boiling, about 1,500 W for the option above. A generator or power station needs to supply all of that, plus anything else running at the same time. Many small power stations can't. We haven't found a published start-up figure, so check the label on yours.

Check a specific setup with the generator size calculator.

Power stations that can run an electric kettle

Uses 85% of the battery as usable energy. Check your own power station or several appliances at once.

PlugFacts may earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, PlugFacts earns from qualifying purchases. It never changes our numbers. How we make money.

Common questions

How many watts does an electric kettle use?

In the US, most are about 1,500 W: Hamilton Beach lists its 1.7-liter glass kettle at 1,500 W. Some go higher, like Breville's Crystal Clear at 1,800 W. In the UK, Russell Hobbs' Calm and Adventure kettles are rated at 3,000 W.

Why do UK kettles boil faster than US kettles?

UK and European homes use 230 V, so a kettle can draw about 3,000 W from a normal socket. US outlets are 120 V, and the US kettles we checked are rated at 1,500–1,800 W. More power puts the same heat into the water in less time.

How much does it cost to boil a kettle?

It depends on how long it's on, which depends on how much water you boil. As an example, a 3-minute boil in a 1,500 W kettle uses 0.075 kWh (1,500 W × 3 minutes), about 1.4 cents at the US average price of 18.16 cents per kWh.

How much does it cost to boil a cup of tea?

Russell Hobbs says its 3,000 W Adventure kettle boils one cup (235 ml) in 47 seconds. That's about 0.04 kWh, or roughly 1p at the UK price on this page.

Is a kettle better than the microwave for boiling water?

It's faster. Hamilton Beach says its 1,500 W kettle boils water 35% faster than a 1,250 W microwave boiling 28 oz of water.

How much does it cost to run an electric kettle per hour?

About $0.27 an hour in the United States, at the average price of 18.16 cents per kWh, or about £0.39 in the UK at 26.32 pence, for a 1,500 W kettle drawing 1,500 W.

How many amps does an electric kettle use?

About 12.5 A at 120 V for a typical 1,500 W US kettle, and about 13 A at 230 V for a typical 3,000 W UK kettle. That's the draw at its rated power; check the label on yours.

Related

Sources

Last checked 25 October 2026. How we get our numbers.