Electric Kettle or Gas?

A question about : Electric Kettle or Gas?

I've always tried to be green with my kettle - i.e. only putting in the water I need, but I was at my friend's today and noticed despite having an electric kettle, when he made tea, he boiled an old fashoned whistle kettle on the gas stove.

He says this is cheaper and more efficient than using an electric kettle? Is he right? Because if so I will follow his example.

Best answers:

• A small electric kettle with an exposed element close to the bottom of the water jug is about as near to 100% efficient for heat transfer as you can get.
  A gas flame is not only having to heat the kettle before any heat gets to the water but it's heating the hob, the kitchen, you, etc, etc..
  Also, if it's started whistling, you are wasting energy on that !
• It's definitely not more efficient using a gas kettle. It may be cheaper since gas is half the price of electricity per KWh.
• Gas may be half the price but how much longer does it take to heat using gas rather than electric? It is much more than double the time!
• I would tell you that I use a whistling kettle on a gas hob and believe it to be efficient but really can't be bothered iwith the kind of stuff that started on the Eco kettle thread. :rolleyes:
• i think an electric kettle will always boil alot quicker than gas
• I've tested out gas kettle versus electric by boiling identical quantities of water and reading the meters. I already have an Excel spreadsheet which has the necessary info on conversions and costings including standing charges so it wasn't too difficult. Can't remember the figures but electric was (surprisingly?) far cheaper, so now I never heat water by gas when boiling veg etc- I preheat in the electric kettle (which by the way cuts itself out saving more power!) Also when I got a new coldfill washing machine it worked out no more expensive (and possibly cheaper) than using old hot & cold hot fill with gas heated water.
• thanks meldrew, I have read that that is the case and always boil the kettle for veggies, pasta etc rather than boiling the water in a pan but I wasn't sure if it was fact or another green myth so it's good to have some facts.
• I do the same- quicker too, to boil a kettle for pasta, then use the leftovers for a cuppa for with dinner.
• We have found we get far too much steam when using an electric kettle, over a kettle boiled on a gas hob - but this is probably more of a rant, than a money saving issue - although, we are looking for a solution that takes into account economy, energy saving and a hard water area. Plus we drink our tea weak and black so like to use boiling water rather than just hot water - we think the Tefal quick cup may be a solution but at nearly 50 quid, worry that the water won't be hot enough for a proper cuppa.
• Isn't the microwave the most energy efficient way of boiling water?
  EDIT: I think I know someone who has the Tefal quick cup , so will ask them. (although I think they like their tea pretty cold anyway, so maybe they aren't the best people to ask!)
• Tea's got to be HOT, very hot! Can't stand it if it's cold, so would be interested to hear verdict on new Tefal Quick Cup.
  I'd always been led to believe that it was cheaper (on account of gas prices) to boil the kettle on the hob, but that was before the huge increases in gas prices.
• If you are looking for cost? remember to cost in new filters for the tefal. This could out weigh the extrat cost of boiling a little more water in a normal kettle.
• I looked at a Tefal kettle but the difference between a Ј60 Tefal over a cheap Ј5 kettle from Tesco if Ј55. I would have thought you can make many many cups of tea before the Tefal pays for itself, as John mentioned above you have filters to change.
  My brother has one and the water isn't boiling so you can't make a proper brew ;(