Gaz and Leccy - Important info!

They are not 100% efficient by any means, they really don't distribute the heat around the room and again they have stoneage thermostats.

 

And should be reserved for doing the ironing.

 

Which is also one of the main reasons the kettle is so often overlooked when looking at energy efficiency. We're all told to only boil as much water as we need. Trouble is, the water is often boiling for quite a few seconds before the bimetallic strip catches up and switches it off. I googled for an energy efficient kettle and as far I can tell, even the really expensive ones use the same principle. If you drink as much tea as we do it does make a difference.

Our electric steam cooker is even worse. It's more energy efficient than cooking on the hob, but there are still savings to be made with a slight design amendment. Ours is either on or off. But water won't ever get hotter than 100 degrees no matter how much energy you put in (except under pressure that is). I've often thought if there was a thermostat in the lid, it could cut the power to the heating element at 100 degrees, and then you'd use exactly as much energy as needed to create the steam, and no more. But I guess that would add to the cost of the unit.

I think most things are designed with the law of diminishing returns in mind. When electricity is cheap, it makes no sense to add a few quid to the cost of an appliance just to squeeze a tiny bit more efficiency out of. Maybe all that will eventually change if high energy prices are here to stay.

 

As per my earlier point, that we outsourced it all to mostly international foreign companies. They have no real incentive to invest in UK energy self sufficiency.