Electric kettle

Brief

You are part of a design team. Your task is to create a kettle that is affordable, sensible with energy and does not end up as electronic waste after its first fault. The budget is limited – every decision costs something and brings something.

Learning goals

1. 1

   Calculate the energy needed to heat water (Q = m · c · ΔT) and understand the difference between ideal and actual consumption.

2. 2

   Explain why a product's lifetime and repairability often matter more than recycling alone.

3. 3

   Weigh the trade-off between purchase price, running costs and lifetime.