Put the kettle on
but for the love of suffering fuck, there is NO CUNTING NEED to fill the thing to the brim to make one, or even two, cups of tea or coffee.

I'm not a green activist or anything, but the waste of energy in doing this somehow drives me mad. See also - TVs on in an empty room or even worse left on all night, mobile phone or laptop chargers left constantly on, people who can't take a shower in under 5 minutes...
(TheImmortalJenkins, Fri 5 Oct 2012, 20:08, 10 replies)

Whoa whoa whoa.
A nice long shower is one of the few joys in life.
As a bath only home sufferer a nice long lovely shower is one of the most invigorating and delightful things I get to experience on the rare chances I'm staying somewhere else.
Also... You feel a damn sight cleaner after a shower than a bath, handy for when I shag your mum or something.
( Maffers I flow kinda strange like Spina Bifida footprints, Fri 5 Oct 2012, 21:06, closed)

At work I'd fill the kettle about 1/3 for the office of 5
Off I'd go and get my cup. Come back, lift the kettle and pour it in just in time to realize that some dozy git in our office had taken it, filled it to the brim and replaced it.

So I'd have cold coffee, a 10 minute wait to reboil the kettle, and have to clean up the water that spouted out of it as it spluttered and boiled.

You had to end up keeping an eye on it just to make sure it didn't happen.
(Kliper Filllets Getting noticed by twats on the internet since, Fri 5 Oct 2012, 21:25, closed)

I have to say
I don't get filling a kettle and then NOT boiling it.
(Misery McUglywife an attention seeking sociopathic fuckstain., Fri 5 Oct 2012, 23:27, closed)

OCD
He had to fill the kettle. Why had no reasoning.
Kettle full : Check.

OCD in tightness too. Someone went round his flat once to see the old company reception carpet floor tiles adoring his living room. Complete with the Alcatel logo on them.
(Kliper Filllets Getting noticed by twats on the internet since, Sat 6 Oct 2012, 8:57, closed)

Phone chargers use a minuscule amount of electricity when not charging a phone so leaving them plugged in is probably the equivalent of rinsing your teacup before using it or something. Certainly nothing to give a shit about.
As for long showers: I *can* shower in under 5 minutes and generally do on a work day but, as was pointed out above, a long shower is a pleasurable experience. If you want to live a life of eco-piety then fair enough but don't expect everyone else to be a martyr to your cause.
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Fri 5 Oct 2012, 22:14, closed)

Growing up in Africa
generally you didn't want to drink untreated water (at least if you valued your ringpiece anddidn't want to become a walking colony) so filling the kettle all the way up made sense as you could pour the cooler boiled water into bottles to drink later. So boiling half a kettle was very wasteful.
EDIT: Mind you you should boil water for at least 7 mins. to kill most waterborne stuff so meh...

Also water has quite a (relatively) high latent heat and stores that heat fairly efficiently so therefore a greater volume of water will hold it's latent heat for longer thus taking less time and energy to re-boil than a half a kettle of cold water.
Any boffins can weigh in here?
(Misery McUglywife an attention seeking sociopathic fuckstain., Fri 5 Oct 2012, 22:58, closed)

Basically not - in essentially all cases, you are best boiling the very smallest amount of water you can.
I would copy and paste a lengthy analysis I made on this topic, but I cannot be arsed.

I note that my normal 'wiggly element' kettle is quite happy boiling a half a cup of water.
You can investigate how little yours can boil safely by boiling when observing the element as you reduce the amount of water.
Violent boiling at the edges of the water = not safe.
(speedevil, Fri 5 Oct 2012, 23:48, closed)

Not only that
I had an aunt who got through more kettles in a year than I have in a lifetime. "They don't last long do they?" she used to moan. So I used to reply "Well stop overfilling the bloody thing then!" But it was like talking to a brick wall. She used to fill them up to the brim like you say, then boiling water used spill out and get into the automatic cut of switch and or/the plug and socket at the back of the kettle and generally bugger things up.
(Mackeson_drinker, Sun 7 Oct 2012, 7:34, closed)

I agree, besides which, the fuller the kettle the longer you have to wait for coffee.
(Finster Ate a cat biscuit for a bet, Mon 8 Oct 2012, 1:24, closed)

wasting energy? let me tell you
the worst energy waste crime in this country by far is how houses are still built from bricks. heating them in the winter isincredibly wasteful. especially whenradiators are placed in bizarre places like right next to the front door. ..
(tyrellsOwl, Mon 8 Oct 2012, 17:55, closed)