Submitted by Loobeensky t3_xy13lk in BuyItForLife
matthias7600 t1_irewnfy wrote
If the vacuum is what gives it the edge in conserving thermal energy, opening and closing it isn't doing you any favors. To answer your question, never in my life have I heard of someone trying to boil water for tea they don't intend to brew for another 48 hours.
Loobeensky OP t1_irey7vt wrote
If you ever paid as much for gas/electricity as we do now in the Netherlands, you'd understand 😁
But yeah, figured that opening and closing is probably affecting the temperature retention to a certain degree. Didn't know it messes it up that much though.
Anyway, thanks!
facebook57 t1_irfe1nc wrote
This is a hilarious workaround to reduce your energy costs
Loobeensky OP t1_irfoq4e wrote
Well... Can't switch bulbs to LEDs cause I already did it. Can't limit my computer-related electricity usage cause I work from home. Can't unplug devices in standby mode cause I already do this. Landlord doesn't want to upgrade the fridge. If I don't want to freeze, I can't permanently unplug the electric heater in my bathroom either.
The price of electricity is capped but only up to 2900kWh per year for a household, I usually use 3700 so something needs to go if I don't want my gas/electricity bill alone to devour half of my salary.
What I can still do is to switch from heating water in a 1000W kettle 7–10 times a day to heating it once and putting the water in a vacuum bottle to have hot drinks for the whole day ¯_(ツ)_/¯
BoilerButtSlut t1_irfykpn wrote
You're not really going to save anything by doing this. The amount of energy is going to be close to the same if you do it in one big batch rather than a bunch of smaller ones.
Eliminating tea entirely would be the better bet.
Historically the biggest cuplrit of energy is a fridge and electric water heater. Everything else is noise.
Loobeensky OP t1_irg3at5 wrote
If I was a camel, I could do that, not drink tea, that is. But I have to drink, sadly, tap water needs to be boiled anyway and buying bottled water would cost muuuch more than boiling what I already have.
Boiling lots of liquid at once would equal boiling smaller quantities more often if not for the energy losses due to the kettle getting warm and stuff. I know it's going to be really marginal and yet, small numbers sum up eventually.
notreally_real_ t1_irgl7iu wrote
Are you on well water? I've heard the tap water in the Netherlands is very safe
Loobeensky OP t1_iri65wl wrote
The water itself is perfect, afaik the best or one the best in Europe but I'm afraid the same cannot be said about the pipes in my rental from the 50's :,)
clappapoop t1_iu3n16z wrote
Maybe get a water filter?
Joaquox t1_irhj0t2 wrote
Maybe see if you can replace the seals on the fridge if they are old. The fridge is likely pulling way more than your cup of tea.
Loobeensky OP t1_iri6dpo wrote
That's a very good advice too, thanks! It's possible that the current ones are compelety messed up, every month I end up with a 3cm thick layer of icy buildup, never had it freezing this bad before tbh.
kitier_katba t1_iricuos wrote
Yeah, your fridge is the source of most of your energy probs then.
Joaquox t1_iriiian wrote
Yeah, then it's leaking, that's not supposed to happen! They are usually cheap, so even if the landlord won't pay for it, might be worth to just swallow the cost.
IsMyNameBen t1_irfnm38 wrote
You're still using the energy though, just in one chunk rather than several. Water takes a fixed amount of energy to heat up (per volume), so all you're getting out of this arrangement is rubbish tea.
The only reason boiling it all at once would make sense would be if your energy was considerably cheaper at certain times of day, but even then, you only need 24h.
Loobeensky OP t1_irfp5td wrote
Excuse me, I'm not a barbarian, I did my research before I've decided to buy Stanley's portable murder weapon to save electricity by boiling one big pot of water a day :D
Yeah, that's also something I wanted to do: to boil it all at night when it's cheaper and have it ready for the next day.
fatherofraptors t1_irun1kh wrote
What's your price per kWh, how much energy does you kettle use and for long does it run before it boils a batch of water? How much did the vacuum bottle cost?
I'm really having a hard time seeing how this can have a reasonable payback period considering how little energy we're talking about saving here.
jiqiren t1_is0jc2s wrote
Dunno how it works in Europe but in US (I’m in Oregon) the state licenses “Home Energy Assessors” that can audit your homes energy usage. This means all appliances are checked, weather stripping, windows, doors etc. They can give you a big list of improvements you can make to slash your energy bill.
If renting an apartment you can at least look at your appliances etc.
Side note: I have near-boiling water on demand on tap and it uses very little energy. My model is about 8 years old now but there are newer ones that are even better: https://www.realhomes.com/buying-guides/the-best-boiling-water-taps
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments