The ECO Kettle was dreamed up by Brian Hartley, an inventor based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. A retired engineer, Brian filed a patent for the idea and offered it to most of the big appliance manufacturers, but he was turned down. Peter, who was working with Brian at the time on converting a different patent of his, saw the potential immediately, raised money to launch it from a rich friend – and in the spring of 2005, the ECO Kettle was born.

But how does it work and why is it so popular with green thinking consumers?

“The kettle has a unique two chamber construction,” explains Peter. “The reservoir holds 1.5 litres ready for use, and water is transferred to a second boiling chamber by opening a valve between them. Thus the amount of water to be boiled can be controlled simply and conveniently, ensuring that only the volume of water required is heated. The heating process is no more efficient than a normal electric kettle – but only the right amount of water is boiled every time!”

You could be forgiven for thinking this a trivial matter. But 67% of us in the UK admit to boiling more water than we need when using our kettles. On average, it’s estimated that we boil twice the amount of water we need every time we fancy a brew. With a regular 3kW kettle, that’s equivalent to the energy required to power around 50 light-bulbs. And according to government research, a week’s worth of boiling over wastes enough energy to light an average size house for a whole day.

“Everyone acknowledges the problem of overfilling the kettle, and the waste of energy that this causes,” argues Peter. “The ECO Kettle provides a simple, practical solution that makes people aware every time they use it, and genuinely changes their habits.”

Boasting sales of 75,000 units to date, the ECO Kettle has also received praise from environmental organisations. It has just been awarded the Energy Saving Trust’s ‘Recommended’ mark, after research found that the device used an average of 31% less energy than other kettles. And according to research carried out by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), ECO Kettles have already reduced CO2 emissions in the UK by 500 tonnes.

With plans to improve the ECO Kettle further and apply the same thinking to other categories of small domestic appliances, Peter’s confident the popularity of the device is a sign of things to come.

“The ECO Kettle is a perfect example of how we can live our lives with the same level of convenience without the same level of waste – and I suspect we can all do this right across our lifestyle,” says Peter. “Excessive consumption is no longer acceptable, and I believe that we must promote the value of thrift and efficiency – ‘enough’ should be what we aspire to.”

For more on the ECO Kettle and to buy one, click here.