Comments gavnoyes has made

Efficiency & Good Tea

In addition to looking at the heat loss and inefficiencies in the energy plant and in losses assoiciated with delivering electricity to your home, we should also consider the energy required to stimulate the heating elements in the electric teapot. I learned in installing a solar setup that household appliances with heating elements are some of the biggest energy hogs we own. (hairdryers, toasters, coffee makers, irons, curling irons, electric stoves, etc)

Another seasonal consideration is; if you are drinking tea in the winter and heating your house with natural gas. A little heat loss around your pot of boiling water is only lending a helping hand to your furnace.

Its a complex equation, but I'd be surprised if the electric teapot doesn't come out last on the list in terms of efficiency, and the microwave first.

PS- A Nast-tea tip. A problem with the electric kettle is that it automatically boils the water. This is fine for black and herbal teas, but if you like green tea, you should steep the leaves (use whole leaves, not tea crumbs) between 170-180 degrees F. Boiling the water or oversteeping makes it taste bitter.On Umbra on boiling water for tea posted 2 years, 9 months ago 23 Responses