On Dec 6, 8:09�pm, "Pete C." > wrote:
>
> It's not cultural, it's practical. Your UK electric kettles are about
> twice the wattage of the US due to your 240V power, so the US version is
> slower than dirt and therefore not popular.

You're obviously not an electrician. The fact that Europens use
higher voltages for small appliasnces has nothing to do with consuming
watts, it has *only* to do with that the European electrical grid is
antiquated... with 240V appliances they obviously have far more in
home electricutions is all.

> The US alternative is the built in instant hot water dispenser, usually
> mounted at the sink, which is hardwired to a 240V circuit as well as the
> water supply, and provides as much near boiling water as you want,
> whenever you want, without having to fill a kettle.

The instant water supply units at the sink in the US are first of all
120V, not 240V, and you're talking apples and oranges... one is
maintaining a volume of water at a constant temperature, the kettle is
far more efficient for heating small quantities of water because they
don't waste watts maintaining. Only folks with more dollars than
brain cells have those instant hot water units at their sink.

Sheldon