Expanding foam - or firework?

[GB]

That last one appears to be an urban myth. It's never been an EU proposal. It would make sense to insulate kettles, though.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Sigh. Calculate how long the boiling water is in the kettle, cooling down, before being poured...

Total waste of money.

Now a heat pump kettle attached to an ice cream machine..

[Robin]

IIRC it has been argued that as kettles became more powerful, to give faster boil times, consumers may have been less concerned about heating more than the water they need as it still boils faster than before. But I agree the EU is very unlikely to act on power. And IIRC insulation is also not on the agenda. But I expect (as discussed here before) a return (after June!) to the possibility of mandating kettles which cut out at below boiling. After all, most uses other than black tea don't need boiling water.

I also expect loads of stuff about tests to demonstrate minimum quality and expected lifetimes. Of course this will mean an end to cheap kettles designed and made in Asia for a world market. But then the EU is good at non-tariff trade barriers.

[PeterC]

Although I do it at almsot boiling, I flick the kettle off as I almost have water below the Min. mark and don't want to damage the element. Seems to work, as kettles last for 10 years+.