Exploring Situational Factors and Attitudes Affecting Sustainable Electric Kettle Usage

This paper explores situational factors and attitudes affecting sustainable electric kettle usage. We conducted a two-week long field study with five residents in Denmark who self-reported their electric kettle usage data, purpose of usage, and situations of usage, over the study period. A follow-up interview was also conducted after the field study to explore reasons behind the observed behaviors. Results show, the amount of excess water heated significantly varied by usage purpose as well as the time sensitivity of the usage purpose. There was no observable effect of the minimum fill level marker on the amount of excess water heated. Participants’ considerations for purchasing a specific kettle and their usage behaviors were not influenced by sustainability-related concerns. We identified four important factors that influenced the amount of excess water heated and participants’ decision to retain or dispose it. They included, (1) uncertainty in the need for hot water in the near future, (2) flexibility in the needed volume for a usage purpose, (3) forgetting to use heated water, and (4) concerns about limescale build up.