Brew-switch! Swapping tea for cappuccino from a fancy home coffee machine adds £57 million a year to Britons' energy bills
Swapping tea for cappuccinos from home coffee machines has increased Britons’ energy bills by £57 million a year[1]
Sales of home barista machines that produce coffee-shop quality beverages soared 412% during lockdown — with three million sold in the last year[2]
Home espresso machines that grind the beans, brew the coffee and steam the milk use a third more energy than boiling the water for a humble cup of tea[3]
Pod-based machines are a less energy-intensive way to enjoy a coffee, using only 2% more electricity than a cuppa[4]
Uswitch.com offers tips to bring your beverage bill down on National Tea Day, including saving energy by not over-filling your kettle.
Household power bills have rocketed by £57 million a year as Britons swap the humble cup of tea for barista-style cappuccinos[1] — with three million coffee machines sold during lockdown[2], according to research from Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
More than 16 million households now have a coffee machine[2], with the most complicated devices able to grind the beans, brew the coffee and steam milk to produce cappuccinos, lattes and americanos.
However, the gadgets consume a lot of energy in the process of creating cafe-quality coffee, with the top-end appliances using a third more energy than making a cup of tea[3].
Making an instant coffee uses the same amount of energy as brewing a cup of tea, while filter or drip machines use 18% less. Pod-based coffee machines like Nespresso devices use only 2% more energy than the humble cuppa[4].
Table: What it costs to make your favourite hot drink
| Drink | Device | Average power (kW) | Stages | Energy cost of one cup a day for a year (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tea | Kettle | 3 | Boil water | £2.56 |
| Instant coffee | Kettle | 3 | Boil water | £2.56 |
| Filter coffee | Filter machine | 1.2 | Brew coffee | £2.09 |
| Capsule coffee | Pod-based machine | 1.71 | Brew coffee / froth milk | £2.61 |
| Americano / latte / cappuccino | Bean to cup / home barista | 1.85 | Grind beans / brew coffee / froth milk | £3.42 |
Source: Uswitch.com
Despite the trend towards expensive coffee machines, Britain still spends £1 billion a year boiling kettles for tea[5].
Making a single cup of tea or instant coffee from a standard 3kW kettle costs less than a penny. However, £68 million a year is estimated to be wasted annually by consumers over-filling their kettles[6].
Uswitch.com is urging consumers to reduce their energy bills by boiling only the water they need for their hot drinks, and turning off machines when they’re not being used.
Sarah Broomfield, energy expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “The last year of lockdown has made it harder to get a good coffee, so millions of us have been investing in increasingly elaborate machines to enjoy our fix of cappuccinos, lattes and americanos.
“Many of these devices can make coffee that’s indistinguishable from your favourite high street chain, but gadgets that grind the beans, brew the coffee and steam your milk can use a lot of energy.
“Coffee machines left on standby can still use a significant amount of energy, so turn it off when it’s not in use.
“However, it’s not just coffee machines that guzzle energy. Overfilling the kettle to make a cup of tea wastes an incredible amount of power, so make sure you only heat the amount of water you need.”
Find out how you could save with Uswitch here.
Notes to Editors
1. Amount of energy used to make a cup of tea = 0.0408kWh. Cost of energy = 0.0408kWh x £0.172/kWh = £0.007 = 0.7p. Amount of energy used to make a cup of coffee from a home barista machine = 0.0544kWh. Cost of energy = 0.0544kWh x £0.172/kWh = £0.009 = 0.9p. If a family drinks four cups of tea every day for a year they will use 0.7p x 4 x 365 = £2.56. Equivalent figure for a home barista machine is £3.42. If the 16.75 million coffee machine owners switch from drinking four cups of tea a day to four cups of coffee, they will go from spending £171 million to spending £228.9 million. The difference between the two is £57.2 million a year.
2. 47% of UK households owned a coffee machine in 2019. 47% of 27.6 million UK households = 12.97 million coffee machines in 2019. £2.15 billion of coffee machines were purchased during lockdown. Average price of 68 coffee machine on John Lewis website = £569. £2.15 billion / £569 = 3.78 million coffee machines purchased in lockdown. 12.97 million + 3.78 million = 16.75 million coffee machines.
3. £3.42 - £2.56 = £0.86. £0.86 / £2.56 = 33.6%.
4. Amount of energy used to make six cups of coffee from a filter machine = 0.2Wh. Cost of energy = 0.2kWh x £0.172/kWh = £0.034. £0.034 / 6 = £0.0057. Amount of energy used to make a coffee from a pod-based machine = 0.0416kWh. Cost of energy = 0.0416kWh x £0.172/kWh = £0.00715 = 0.715p.
5. Total household expenditure on electricity in 2019 was 19.3billion according to Statista. Kettle accounts for six per cent of that according to Dr Tom Baxter, University of Aberdeen. This equates to 1.15billion.
6. Energy Saving Trust: At home with water
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including broadband, mobiles, SIM Only and insurance. We’ve saved consumers over £2.5 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
In 2022, Uswitch launched its free mobile app, Utrack, to help consumers manage their home energy costs. By connecting to their smart meter, users can track their energy usage hourly, get dynamic insights and calculate potential savings with handy tips.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a global group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.