Brits with an electric kettle who use it at least three times a day will face £7.30 charges from April 1. Ofgem is lowering the energy price cap from this date, meaning Brits will pay less per year for their energy usage. The energy authority has said that households on a standard variable tariff (default tariff) who pay for their electricity by Direct Debit will now pay on average24.67pence per kilowatt hour (kWh).
This is good news for Brits, who might notice a difference in the running costs ofcertain appliances. An electric kettle is a staple of the British home, with approximately 100 million cups of tea consumed daily. While individual habits vary, according to a Product of the Year survey in 2023, the majority of Brits drink three or more cups of tea a day. But how expensive are these devices to use? The Express has done some calculations to help you figure out how much you can expect to pay.
We also came up with the annual price based on using an electric kettle three times a day, so 1,095 times a year. According to EcoFlow, the average fast-boil new electric kettle uses between 2,200W and 3,000W.
With Ofgem's new price of 24.67pence per kilowatt hour (kWh), we can deduce that electric kettles will, on average, cost just £10.95 per year to run after April 1.
A 2,500W electric kettle typically takes about 45 seconds to boil 250ml of water - the equivalent of one mug. For three cups of tea a day, this totals 135 seconds (2.25 minutes) - or 0.0375 hours.
Using Smart Money Tool's 'Electricity Cost Calculator', last updated on March 9, 2026, we calculated that an electric kettle would consume 0.094kWh per day. This would result in a cost of £0.02 (2p) per day.
According to Smart Money Tools, this would bring an estimated total cost of £0.71 (71p) per month and a total cost per year of £8.46. Actual figures may vary due to differences in rates or usage, it warns.
Here is a more detailed breakdown, based on a formula provided by energy experts Bluetti:
The wattage is multiplied by the hours used and divided by 1,000. This brings us to 0.094kWh. This, multiplied by the new average hourly cost, is 2p (£0.02).
If you use your electric kettle for this amount of time three times a day throughout the year, multiply this cost by 365. This brings us to an annual price of £7.30.
