TIPS: Big Questions

Sydeny Morning Herald weekend edition 9-10 December 2006
Published my answer
(with some other good ones in the paper, and alot more online)
to the question:

Is it better to tip the cold water out of the kettle and boil hot water (saving electricity) or re-boil the cold remains (saving water)?

Water from the hot water service is not good for drinking. Cold pre-boiled water re-boils faster than cold never-boiled water. Switch to a 100 per cent renewable energy provider and re-boil your kettle. Then you can save water and have a carbon-emission-free cup of tea.
Josephine Vaughan, Newcastle

You should boil an amount of water equal only to the quantity required at the time of use. You are then conserving water and saving electricity as the kettle doesn't have to boil water unnecessarily.
Dean Alger, Coogee

Unless your hot water is solar-heated, you waste energy resources by boiling hot water from the tap, as the water has been pre-heated by electricity or gas, and there are always energy losses in the waterheater-jug-cup system, albeit small. What you will gain is time, though not much. It's better to boil ordinary tap water, but not chilled water from the fridge, of course.
Peter R. Green, Marrickville

If you tip the cold water out of the kettle over the nearest pot-plant, then boil hot water, you can have your cake and eat it too.
J. Barrie Brown, Gordon

It's best just to boil the correct amount of water in the first place.
Sandy Parkinson, Hilton, WA

It is better to fill the kettle with only x cups of water when you make x cups of tea.
This means (a) you save water, (b) you save electricity, (c) the question becomes irrelevant.
Milton Wheeler, Harbord

Using the hot water tap for drinking isn't recommended. A hot water heater - which itself is less than sterile - often contains impurities such as lead from household plumbing that are concentrated in the heating process and also dissolve more rapidly in hot water, making drinking it a risky business. Better to save electricity elsewhere.
John Moir, Mollymook

Neither, if you want to make tea or coffee. Tip any water remaining in the kettle on a plant and boil water from the cold tap. Do not use water from the hot tap or remaining water because it is low in oxygen necessary to develop the flavour of the beverage. Hot tap water also contains far more dissolved minerals from your hot water system potentially harmful to health. Older houses and renovations sometimes retain lead pipes and lead soldering.
Paul Roberts, Lake Cathie

It is better to tip the unused boiling water straight into a thermos and then pour this water back into the kettle, when needed, and reboil. Save water and electricity.
Sandra Christie, Beacon Hill

It's best to put the cold water from the kettle on the garden plants, say: the Morning Glory; or the Red Hot Poker.
Steve Barrett, Glenbrook

Reboil the cold remains; boiling hot water doesn't save anything, as it has already been heated using electricity or gas. Even better is to only fill the kettle with the amount of water that you need each time; water freshly drawn from the cold cold tap and heated once only makes the best tea or coffee.
Conrad Henley-Calvert, Tarago

...

Here is the link to the relevant smh web page but knowing the smh site, they will probably have dropped the link by the time you want to access it. Then they might charge you, if you can ever find the relavant page again. YES! I do think the smh website is terrible!