Eco kettle deathmatch (AKA reviews of Tefal Quick Cup, Eco Kettle & Plunger Kettle)

Some quick kettle facts for you: modern ones use 3,000 watts (about 300 energy saving bulbs), 28 per cent of us overfill them and the average Brit drinks 27 cups of tea or coffee every week. In other words, our crap tea-making skills are emitting a lot of pointless carbon. I've been guilty of overfilling in the past, which is why I've recently been living with three different 'green kettles' that stop you from wasting water and electricity: (from l-r in the picture)the £64 Tefal Quick Cup, £35 Eco Kettle, and £60 Plunger Kettle. Click through to see how they square up.

Tefal Quick Cup - 'the instant hot water one'
This is the newest, smartest-looking and fastest-boiling kettle out of the trio - and it's also jointly the most expensive. To prevent you overfilling, it uses a big, detachable and easily refilled resevoir at the back, and 'instantly' boils a cup's worth of water using the same sort of tech at your local coffee shop. A single cup of tea takes around 15 seconds to boil. By dispensing water downwards (where the Tefal logo is in the photo, left) it side-steps the weight and lifting issues of the Eco Kettle and the Plunger Kettle. There's even enough space under the spout for fairly large saucepans too. Right now, this machine is the one I'm using daily, as it's simply very easy to operate: you just press the red button on the top and let it pour. If you're wondering if it'll work for your elephantine or miniature cups, fret not - it will. You can prorgramme it to change the 'standard' cup measure. Like the Plunger Kettle, this one also has the added bonus of a built-in water filter.

Eco Kettle - 'the affordable one'
If you're solely interested in a green kettle for saving cash, there's no doubt this is the one to go for. Its rivals are twice the price and - in a utilitarian fashion - this one does exactly the same job. The other good stuff is a simple combo of boiling chamber and resevoir (hold the button down to fill up the right amount) and the fact that it's lighter than the Plunger Kettle (good for the elderly or anyone wimpish, like me). The bad: the price shows in the product design, which is more NHS ward than cool contemporary kitchen. It's also bigger and heavier than a typical kettle. Boiling times are on a par with the Plunger Kettle, both of which are fractionally slower than the Tefal. There's no water filter.

Plunger Kettle - 'the stylish filter one'
This is the first eco kettle I bought, and I'm still a big fan, though the kettle does have its critics. I've had emails from people before complaining of the weight of the thing when full of water which is a fair complaint: it is heavy. The size can also make it tricky to get into the sink to refill. Like its brethren, this one uses the concept of a resevoir that you fill up and then pump through to the boiling chamber when ready - one pump theoretically equals one cup, though it's usually two in my experience. Thanks to its handsome design and the inclusion of a water filter, this used to be my favourite eco kettle. But then the Tefal came along and claimed my heart (a phrase I never thought I'd write about a Tefal product) by being a tad quicker and easier to use. I've written a whole lot more about the Plunger Kettle here.

The verdict
If money's no object, plump for the Tefal: even Homer Simpson could operate it without overfilling. If you're on a budget, try the Eco Kettle, which is about double the cost of an average kettle but is almost guaranteed to save you electricity and cash. If the Energy Saving Trust's tests are anything to go by - and the EST is independent - you should use 31 per cent less energy than a normal kettle.

Sources
Brits drinking 27 cups of tea and coffee a week
Over a quarter of us overfill the kettle

Comments

[LG Adam]

This is really interesting, thanks. I've been wanting to get an 'green' kettle for a while. One question though - what do you do with three kettles now?

[Adam Vaughan]

Right now, two are sitting in boxes, but the plan's to give them to mates/family.

[Lisa]

Do you know how much the filters cost for the Tefal Quick Cup? Cheers!

[Russ]

Thanks for the review. I have an important question: Which is the most energy efficient?

[Bob Bobbington]

It is a good idea - but if you are a serious tea drinker (like I realise I now probably am) it won't live up to your expectations. The water is not hot enough to properly brew a cuppa - and the taste difference is significant. I liken it to a tea from a vending machine - not a proper tea bag/boiling water taste. Fine for instant coffee.

[Niall Oswald]

You'll never get around the fact that it takes 4200 joules to raise 1kg of water by 1 degrees centigrade. To say that a kettle 'uses 3000 watts' is a bit meaningless - I'd bank on a more powerful kettle being more efficient than a less powerful kettle. The longer it takes to boil the water, the more energy you're losing via convection/conduction.

Do any of these kettles incorporate a vacuum sleeve to minimise heat loss to the outside air?

[Adam Vaughan]

Belatedly...

Russ - they're all on a par for energy efficiency. As Niall points out, a certain amount of energy is required to get water to boiling point, and these all use the same amount.

Lisa - the filters cost £5 each for the Quick Cup. You can strictly use the kettle without the filters, cutting down on embodied energy in the process, but in a hard water region like London (where I live) I think it's worth using them.

Bob, you're right, the temperature on the water from the Quick Cup is slightly lower than a conventional kettle by the time it hits the mug. I almost solely drink herbal tea, which it actually works better for.

[Adam Vaughan]

PS Niall - short answer, not sure. I'll try and find out from the manufacturers.

[JT]

I use a Tefal Quickcup and have the sneaking suspicion that it uses a fair bit of energy doing something whilst merely in 'standby'. I've noticed that the top of the unit is warm if plugged in and on (even when it's not been used in a while - or plugged in from cold). Haven't done a proper check of this, but doesn't seem to fit with the concept of it being an energy saving device.

[Paul Milnes]

How much is in a cup? We are considering purchasing one of the kettles for our organisation and may need to fill 10 mugs at once (the tea round). Will the kettles stand up to this or will the thermal cut outs cut in?