Everyone who cares about the environment (which I do despite my disagreements with left-wing environmentalists) must ask questions like this, but does anyone really know the answer?
The other day I was filling the kettle and accidentally overfilled it. So in an effort not to waste electricity I emptied the kettle down to the level where it contained enough water for the two cups I was making. My girlfriend asked whether I had done the right thing: Had I wasted more energy in wasting cleaned water than I had saved in not causing the kettle to stay on longer?
The question is a reasonable one. And it is a similar question to many others we all must ask as we go about our daily lives. So if human-caused climate change is such a big issue, why isn’t the results of research into these things being made available?
One final comment: I would like to apologise; my stats tell me that a small number of you have visited here almost every day since my last post — thank you and sorry for the delay in resuming service. Oh, and if you saw the Netherlands, Italy game last night, lucky you. Wasn’t it great?!
June 11th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Consider it answered.
June 11th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
p.s you don’t need to research this, you just need a GCSE in physics (possibly A-level these days).
July 6th, 2008 at 1:59 am
Gav
As a pragmatic centralist environmentalist, hope this helps
People should keep their common sense about them on this one.
Well you saved energy (perhaps some cash also) by only boiling 2 cups worth as most kettles are thirsty 2000W appliances, and the 66% (steam) and 9% (national grid transmissions)lost at the central thermal power station generating the mains juice initially.
Cleaning and pumping water does comsume energy but less energy per volume than electrically boiling water via the mains/kettle. Yes perhaps research should confirm what seems common sense
Other choices
Put excess water into a filter jug to reuse later
Put excess water on house or pot plants
What else could you have done to reuse the excess water, conveniently? Don’t think we have to live bizarre extreme green lifestyles to use water and energy mindfully or wisely. Although if the hydrogen revolution comes about one day, people could drink water coming from the car exhausts in the future!