Trustpilot rated excellent
  • Search
  • MyJLA User Icon
    • Back
    • Manage your account online with MyJLA

      My JLA supports the smooth running of your business, with statements, job sheets, site information and essential documents all in one place.

      Sign in
      Register your interest
    • Back
JLA - Celebrating 50 years
  • Products
    • Back
      • Laundry
        Back
        • Commercial & Industrial Washing Machines
          • Coin-operated
          • Barrier
          • Stacked
        • Commercial & Industrial Tumble Dryers
          • Coin-operated
          • Stacked
          • Safe technology
        • Irons & finishing
          • Irons
          • Ironing boards tables
          • Rotary
        • Detergents & chemicals
          • Cleaning chemicals
          • Auto dosing-pumps
        • OTEX
          • Laundry disinfection
        Back
      • Catering
        • Back
          • Cooking appliances
            • Ovens
            • Fryers
            • Grills
            • Griddles
            • Hobs
            • Induction hobs
            • Bratt pans
            • Microwaves
          • Fridges & freezers
            • Fridges
            • Freezers
            • Ice machines
            • Blast chillers
          • Dish & glasswashers
            • Dishwashers
            • Glasswashers
            • Utensil washers
          • Food warmers
            • Bain marie
            • Hot cupboards
          • Water boilers
          • Commercial kitchen installation
          • Modular
          • Furniture
          • Cleaning chemicals
        • Back
      • Heating & AC
        • Back
        • Heating
          • Boilers
            • Wall mounted
            • Floor standing
            • Commercial boiler service contracts
            • Boiler servicing price calculator
          • Hot water cylinders
          • Water storage heaters
        • Air conditioning
        • Back
      • Fire safety & security
        • Back
          • Fire safety equipment
              • Fire fighting equipment
                • Extinguishers
              • Buildings & escape routes
                • Doors
                • AOVS
                • Emergency lighting
              • Alarm checks
              • Initial site survey
              • Detection systems
          • Fire safety services
            • Fire risk assessments
            • Fire safety training
            • Evacuation planning
            • Fire safety cover
        • Back
      • Infection Control
        • Back
          • Hygiene
            • Medical macerators
            • Bedpan washers
          • OTEX
            • Ozone laundry disinfection
            • Ozone room disinfection
            • Ozone air purifier
        • Back
      • Discover Total Care
        • Back
        • Total Care

          A unique, all-inclusive package, specially designed for you.
          You pay nothing upfront, and get free installation with 24/7 emergency support, access to MyJLA, and remote equipment monitoring for proactive care.

          All for a simple monthly fee.
          Discover Total Care
          Total Care is now fully connected
          Remote monitoring from JLA Connect helps you track energy usage, cut downtime and make sure your laundry equipment is running at its best.
          Discover JLA Connect
        • Back
    • Back
  • About Us
    • Back
    • Who we are
    • Careers
    • ESG at JLA
    • Accreditations
    • Blog
    • Total Care from JLA
    • Testimonials
    • Back
  • Sectors
    • Back
        • Care Homes
        • Facilities management
        • Football clubs
        • NHS & Healthcare
        • Health clubs
        • Hotels & spas
        • Housing
        • Launderettes
        • Prisons
        • Pubs & restaurants
        • Schools
        • Vets & animal care
    • Back
  • Help & advice
    • Back
      • Existing customers

      • Need an engineer?
      • Accounts billing
      • Service & support
      • MyJLA
      • The JLA app
      • Contact us
      • Manage your account online with MyJLA

        My JLA supports the smooth running of your business, with statements, job sheets, site information and essential documents all in one place.

        Sign in
        Register your interest
    • Back
  • Contact
  • Call us free:
    01422822282
Chat now
JLA - Celebrating 50 years
Contact us by phone
MyJLA User Icon
Search
  • Commercial laundry
    • Commercial washing machines
      • Coin-operated
      • Barrier
      • Stacked
      • View all washing machines
    • Commercial tumble dryers
      • Coin operated
      • Stacked
      • Safe technology
      • View all tumble dryers
    • Irons & finishing
      • Irons
      • Ironing boards tables
      • Rotary
      • View all finishing
    • Detergents & chemicals
      • Cleaning chemicals
  • Catering equipment
    • Cooking appliances
      • Commercial ovens
      • Fryers
      • Grills
      • Griddles
      • Hobs
      • Induction hobs
      • Bratt pans
      • Microwaves
      • View all cooking appliances
    • Refrigeration
      • Fridges
      • Freezers
      • Ice machines
      • Blast chillers
      • View all refrigeration
    • Dishwashers & glasswashers
      • Commercial dishwashers
      • Commercial glasswashers
      • Utensil-washers
      • View all dishwashers & glasswashers
    • Food warmers
      • Bain marie
      • Hot cupboards
      • View all food warmers
    • Water boilers
      • JLA water boiler
    • Modular
    • Cleaning chemicals
    • Furniture
  • Heating & AC
    • Heating
      • Boilers
      • Hot water cylinders
      • Water storage heaters
      • Boiler servicing price calculator
    • Air conditioning
  • Fire safety & security
    • Equipment
      • Detection systems
      • Fire fighting equipment
      • Buildings & escape routes
      • Initial site survey
      • Alarm checks
    • Evacuation planning
    • Fire safety cover
  • Infection Control
    • Hygiene
      • Medical macerators
      • Bedpan washers
    • OTEX
      • Ozone laundry disinfection
      • Ozone room disinfection
      • Ozone air purifier
  • Total Care
    • Discover Total Care
    • JLA Connect
  • Sectors
    • Care Homes
    • Hotels & spas
    • Pubs & restaurants
    • Schools
    • Housing
    • Facilities management
    • NHS & Healthcare
    • Prisons
    • Vets & animal care
  • About us
    • Who we are
    • Careers
    • ESG at JLA
    • Accreditations
    • Blog
    • Total Care from JLA
  • Help & advice
    • Need an engineer?
    • Accounts & billing
    • Service & support
    • MyJLA
    • The JLA app
    • Contact us
  • Contact
?>

Home > Blog > Catering > Water Boiler vs Kettle – A Quick Guide

  • Energy saving

Water Boiler vs Kettle – A Quick Guide

  • Catering
  • November 1, 2019
  • 5 min read
(Updated 27/09/2022)

A commercial water boiler – often known as an instant hot water dispenser – is a time-saving alternative to traditional kettle. Ideal for both staffed and self-service use in office kitchens, common areas, event rooms, reception areas or canteens, plumbed-in hot water dispensers are well worth considering if you’re looking to cut costs and boost productivity.

While similar in terms of like-for-like energy consumption, what works out as more efficient for your organisation will depend on your usage. It’s true that a boiler will become cheaper and cheaper to run the more you use it, but there are other key differences to consider in the water boiler vs kettle comparison, such as the reduction in time spent waiting for water to boil throughout the day (or night shift) if you have a mains-plumbed countertop water boiler.

Water boiler vs Kettle

*This is an illustration only. The energy efficiency of a hot water boiler vs a kettle is entirely dependent on how much a unit of electricity costs your business. Check with your provider to understand how much you are charged per unit of electricity.

Water boiler vs electric kettle

Switching from a kettle to a hot water boiler will cut the waiting time for hot water, and if you’re a big tea drinking organisation like us, your energy usage will drop too. While the energy usage to heat the same volume of water is the same, the main difference is that an electric kettle uses a large amount of electricity for a short amount of time and a hot water dispenser uses a small amount of electricity for a large amount of time.

Are water boilers more efficient than kettles?

The question of whether you should have a water boiler or a kettle is entirely dependent on your usage. It costs less to keep a water boiler hot than it does to constantly refill and boil a kettle. This is because your kettle uses a large amount of energy for a short amount of time, whereas a hot water boiler uses a smaller amount of electricity for a larger amount of time.

Ultimately, the more water you boil throughout the day, the more likely it is you’ll benefit from a water boiler.

By our calculations, if you’re paying 52p per kwh for your electricity and you’re drinking over 110 cups of tea or coffee a day, a water boiler will be more cost effective. (You can see our calculations below.)

How much does a kettle cost to boil?

If we look at the numbers in more detail, an average kettle (3kW) takes 4 minutes to boil at each visit. A unit of electricity costs around 52p*.

*Depending on individual tariff/rate

3kW x 0.07h = 0.21 kWh, 0.21 x 52p = 11p to boil a full kettle each time which means…

StaffMugsBoils Cost per day
20801616×11p£1.66
301202424×11p£2.50
401603232×11p£3.33

How much does it cost to run a water boiler?

A 3kW boiler on standby will use 0.07kW/h, that’s one unit of electricity (52p) in 14 hours (3.71p per hour), or 89.14p per day. In-use, a water boiler automatically refills and only boils the water used at each serving. It ‘heats’ for 30 seconds per mug of water drawn-off  (1 minute for 2 mugs, 2 minutes for 4 mugs and so on). For 20 people drinking 80 mugs, the dispenser will be on for 40 minutes (0.66 hours) throughout the day (3kW x 0.66h = 1.98kWh 1.98 x 52p = 102.96p).

Add this to the standby cost of 89.14p per day and we get…

StaffMugsCost per day
2080£1.92
30120£2.43
40160£2.95

Water boilers are built for commercial use, so they’ll last longer too. The heating element in a household kettle often found in the office kitchen, simply aren’t up to the task. So in addition to the running costs outlined above, you can expect to replace them regularly if you stick with them.

Aside from energy efficiency and considerations in relation to finances, there are also further benefits water boilers can provide. For example, a positive impact on a building’s BREEAM rating (certification system which helps businesses to improve their environmental impact). For workplaces looking to operate more sustainably and keep energy costs low, they’re a great investment.

Another key consideration is hard water. If you’re based in a hard water location, limescale build up is more of a concern for you. Not only does this impact the taste of drinks, but over time, it can also damage the longevity and efficiency of a kettle. A water boiler, however, can be filtered and serviced to avoid these issues.

In conclusion, repeatedly boiling a kettle is both time and energy inefficient. Kettle’s waste energy when overused as they lose heat throughout the boiling process. Instant hot water dispensers are much more energy efficient, with as little as possible wasted.

That said, if you are only having two cups of tea per day per premises, then stick to your kettle!

Ideal for staffrooms, office kitchens, canteens, waiting rooms and event spaces, our JLA compact water boiler features:

  • Automatic refilling – plumbed into your mains
  • Simple tap pouring
  • Insulated casing for safe public use
  • 162 cups per hour output (27 litres)
  • Built-in filter for optimum hot water quality
  • Electric temperature control at 97 degrees
  • LCD for simple fault diagnosis
  • Boil-dry protection
  • Stainless steel drip tray included
  • Insulated for minimal heat loss
  • WRAS approved
Found this useful? Share with
Need help? Call us on

01422822282

Facebook Linkedin
Products
  • Laundry equipment
  • Catering equipment
  • Heating & AC
  • Fire safety
  • Infection Control
Menu
  • Laundry equipment
  • Catering equipment
  • Heating & AC
  • Fire safety
  • Infection Control
Sectors
  • Care homes
  • NHS & Healthcare
  • Health clubs
  • Hospitality
  • Facilities management
  • Football clubs
  • Restaurants
  • Vets & animal care
  • More sectors
Menu
  • Care homes
  • NHS & Healthcare
  • Health clubs
  • Hospitality
  • Facilities management
  • Football clubs
  • Restaurants
  • Vets & animal care
  • More sectors
Solutions
  • Laundry equipment
  • Catering equipment
  • Heating & AC
  • Fire safety
  • Infection Control
Menu
  • Laundry equipment
  • Catering equipment
  • Heating & AC
  • Fire safety
  • Infection Control
About JLA
  • Who we are
  • Careers
  • ESG at JLA
  • Accreditations
  • Blog
  • Total Care from JLA
  • Testimonials
Menu
  • Who we are
  • Careers
  • ESG at JLA
  • Accreditations
  • Blog
  • Total Care from JLA
  • Testimonials
  • Privacy & cookies
  • Terms & conditions
  • Modern slavery
  • Covid-19
  • Responsibility
  • Site map
  • Privacy & cookies
  • Terms & conditions
  • Modern slavery
  • Covid-19
  • Responsibility
  • Site map
Contact

We’re here to help

Your critical equipment is just that – critical. So whether you need advice on how we can help with new solutions and servicing, booking an engineer or you want to talk to us about your account, get in touch below.

Repairs & maintenance

Book an emergency engineer or arrange planned servicing and maintenance.

Book a visit

Sales enquiries

Whatever your business needs, we have a solution. Get advice from the experts today.

Send an enquiry

Accounts & billing

Whether it’s a simple question or an issue you need addressing quickly our team are here 24/7.

Ask a question

Talk to our experts today

Find out more By providing your email address we can send you information about JLA's products & services and special offers which we think might be of interest to you.
Keeping your information safe >>

Talk to our experts today

Fill in our form
Keeping your information safe >>

Talk to our experts today

Keeping your information safe >>