Who would have thought that you could be pouring money down the drain with a humble kettle. With the average kettle running at 3kW power, not using it smartly could mean just that. Here’s some tips on how to save money with your kettle use:

- Only boil the amount of water you actually need. Too many people fill and boil a whole kettle for just 2 cups of tea. Start with an empty kettle then take off the top and pour in two cups of water from the tap. Or one cup, or whatever the exact amount of water you require is

- Boil it only when you are about to use it. There’s no point in boiling your kettle, letting it cool down for 15 minutes then boiling it again

- Watch out for limescale build-up. Those people in hard-water areas get limed up kettles pretty quickly. The more deposits around the element, the less efficient your kettle is.

- Switch the lights out (& TV) behind you when you go into the kitchen to make a cuppa. Also remember to switch off the kitchen lights when you head back to the couch.

For the average household using the kettle 5-8 times per day, following these tips might just save you enough money over a period of time to buy a shiny new kettle.