Why Overfilling The Kettle Costs £68m A Year

Overfilling the kettle is costing British households £68m a year, according to a report from the Energy Saving Trust (EST) Foundation.

Spending just a minute less in the shower could save a total of £215m a year across the country, the research showed.

It found three-quarters of homes are using their kettles to boil more water than they need and while 95% of people boil the kettle every day, 40% boil the kettle five times a day or more.

The study of 86,000 British homes found the average shower lasts seven and a half minutes, but that cutting 60 seconds off that time could save households £215m on their energy bills each year.

Britons use more than two billion litres of water showering every day, with each person showering on average 4.4 times a week and taking 1.3 baths.

The average household washes dishes by hand 10 times a week and uses a dishwasher three times a week, the study found.

But the EST said larger households could make greater energy and water savings by using an efficient, modern dishwasher rather than washing by hand.

EST water strategy manager Andrew Tucker said: "When people think of energy use they think of heating and lighting, running electrical appliances or filling the car with petrol. It's all too easy to turn on the tap and not think about the consequences.

"But there is an environmental and energy cost attached to water which many people do not consider. On average, hot water use contributes £228 to the average annual combined energy bill."

The EST said consumers could save money and water by installing an "eco" shower head, washing clothes at 30C and only filling the kettle by the required amount.