Burned by the Burner

The tip in "The Green Year" is so appropriate for me this morning! Our stove has 4 burners, 1 small, 2 large and the "main" burner (right front) has a switch that allows it to be used either as a large or small burner. My husband cooked us lunch yesterday, using the small saute pan, for which he always switches the main burner over to use small burner heat.
When I went home last night and started cooking, I used the larger sauce pan and after awhile, realized my water wasn't boiling.
"This is the main burner," I told him. "Quit switching it over to the small one and use one of the other small ones!"
I was irritated because I was hungry and had just wasted time - and some energy - trying to boil water in a larger pan than the burner could accommodate.
Jodi Helmer has a good point about using the right burner for the size pan you're using when cooking. "if the circumference of the burner is larger than the size of the pan, you're leaking unused heat into the air. Also avoid using a pot too big; it takes a lot of extra energy to heat the contents."
My husband is right to use the smaller burner for the small pan. I just wish he would use the other small burner and leave "my" burner alone. :)