Calculator
What does a boiling tap really cost over 10 years?
Headline price + installation + ten years of energy + ten years of filters. The number you should actually compare between brands, not the sticker price. A £499 tap can be more expensive than a £1295 tap over time, depending on idle wattage and filter strategy.
Your tap and kitchen
Qettle ~£499. Quooker ~£1295. Zip HydroTap ~£4365.
DIY swap: £130-200. New worktop drilling + electrician: £300-450.
Most taps 10 W. Zip HydroTap 35 W.
Set 0 if your tap has no filter (Quooker Fusion without CUBE, Franke Minerva).
Total cost of ownership
Over 5 years
£2140
Over 10 years
£2785
This is the honest 10-year cost. Most marketing focuses on the headline price (£499 vs £1295). The real picture: a £499 tap with high idle draw and filter costs can match a £1295 tap with low idle draw over time. Run the numbers for your kitchen before deciding.
How we calculate it
Tap + install is a one-off cost upfront.
Energy cost per year = idle watts × 24 × 365 / 1000 × tariff, plus litres × 0.102 kWh/L × tariff. We use 88K delta-T (UK mains average 12°C to 100°C output).
Filter cost per year assumes one OEM cartridge replacement annually. Set to 0 if your model has no filter (Quooker Fusion without CUBE, Franke Minerva, Hanstrom Ume).
Inflation not modelled. Electricity tariffs and cartridge prices rise over time. The numbers shown are in today's pounds. Add 2-4% per year for a realistic forward projection.