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Energy Saving Kettle |
Category: Consumer |
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Andrew Blee
Andrew Blee
Rugby, GB
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Entered: 08/10/2007
Patented or Patent Pending
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The English like their cups of tea. In the UK 97% of the 25 million households use a kettle. With kettles rated up to 3kw, they are major consumers of electricity. The principal way to reduce energy consumption is to only boil the water you need. Kettles have measuring gauges to enable the water to be measured. But the truth is that most people don't bother. Government figures say that kettles are overfilled by an average of 31%. There could be a 31% reduction in energy consumption if only kettles were filled accurately.
My invention allows the most casual consumer to get the right volume of water simply by selecting where the kettle is held. It consists only of an extended handle with tactile marks alongside the inside of the handle. The marks correspond to 1 cup, 2 cups, 3 cups etc. By supporting the kettle at each mark your index fingers acts as a pivot (fulcrum) the rotation of the kettle and therefore the volume of water it can hold is defined before the excess is shed through the spout.
With repeated use, the consumer knows which mark to hold the kettle at. You would just feel for the correct marker and fill until the excess water comes out of the spout. The invention has particular value therefore for blind or elderly people who cannot use a measuring gauge.
There are no additional parts, no moving parts. The Energy Saving Kettle costs no more to produce than a normal kettle. With UK energy costs, the kettle saves about US$40 over a 4 year life. There is therefore both an environmental and economic reason for implementing this invention.
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Meet the Entrant, Andrew Blee
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Association: Andrew Blee |
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Profession: Salesman! |
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My Website: http://www.energysavingkettle.com... |
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Number of times entering contest previously: 0
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Software used:
SolidWorks
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Andrew's favorite design tool:
Powerpoint. My issue has been about communication not engineering.
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What role does Andrew believe product design plays in creating a better future?
It saves electrical energy. This reduces our dependency on fossil fuels, diminishes the argument for nuclear power and increases the viability of renewable energy sources.
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