May 23, 2010
Decluttering: Not Replacing Broken Appliances
My kettle has broken. My guess is that the heating element has burned out, and it being the dirt-cheap value-brand kettle purchased for less than a fiver, it’s not worth trying to get it fixed.
In considering replacement options, I considered getting another dirt-cheap one (easy on my pocket), or doing some research and getting a good kettle that would last. On the one hand, I wanted to be able to get rid of it easily in the event of our eventual move – I didn’t want to sink a bunch of money into something that would only be used for a year or so. On the other hand, cheap disposable appliances use energy and materials in their creation and transport, and they frequently (not always) break down faster.
Then I realised there was a third option I hadn’t considered.
Not replacing it at all.
Here was a golden opportunity for clearing some counter-space, reducing the number of items in my kitchen, and solving both my ‘not spending a lot of money’ and ‘not buying cheap appliances’ problems in one swoop.
I don’t need a kettle. I have two other methods for boiling water – slowly, on the stove-top. And quickly, in the microwave. Do I really need a single-purpose item that does the same job?
The main thing I used the kettle for was making a cup of tea in the mornings. This morning I made it in the microwave. Easy!
The next time something of yours breaks down, ask yourself: do I really need to replace it? What else do I own that can do this job for me?
Funnily enough I have a post queued up where one of my options for simplifying is “just don’t replace it”. This is the method I’m using for a couple of items in my house – for example the TV and the microwave. My daughter likes watching TV on occasion, but when The Big Digital Switchover happens I won’t be getting a new TV or digital adapter box.
It would be interesting to look at efficiencies too – for example how efficient is the microwave compared to the kettle?
Good question about the efficiency. I don’t have one of those whizzy energy-usage monitors, though my guess is that the kettle is probably marginally more efficient. In a microwave you’re never going to ‘over fill’ though, unlike with a kettle where I always seem to boil enough for 2.5 cups instead of 1.
I only really drink one cup a day at home, so I’m guessing energy savings would be cancelled out by the energy used in the production of the kettle?
Probably depends how long you use it for.
You might find some interesting info here though: http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums/2429_0/alternative-energy/electric-kettle-vs-stove-top
They did some of the math out, and it looks like the kettle might be more efficient by a fair bit, though they didn’t take production energy into account, since it wasn’t relevant to their discussion. I’m guessing once you take that into account, it’s probably not worth it for just one year.