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Tip 15 - Air-Power Your Shower
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If each member of a family of four takes a daily five-minute shower, the family will use more than 700 gallons of water every week, a three-year supply of drinking water for one person. For many, a long, hot shower is a guilty pleasure. There's a nagging suspicion we're wasting precious water. Shower water use can reduced by about 50 percent simply and effectively by replacing the conventional shower head with an energy-efficient model. We save natural resources
and cash without sacrificing a satisfying shower.
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ENERGY FACTS
- The Department of Energy says heating water is the second-largest residential energy user.
- A standard shower head sprays five to seven gallons of water per minute (gpm), so even a five-minute shower can consume 35 gallons.
- Energy-efficient shower heads typically reduce the flow rate to only two to five gpm, or less.
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SIMPLE WAYS TO SAVE ENERGY
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Determine if you need a low-flow shower head.
Use the milk carton test.
- Open the top of an empty half-gallon milk carton so the entire top forms a square.
- Turn your shower on fairly forcefully.
- Hold the carton up to the shower head. If it fills in less than 10 seconds, your shower head is using too much water.
- Investigate what's on the market.
There are two types of energy-efficient shower heads:
- Aerated: The most popular, it reduces the amount of water in the flow but maintains pressure by mixing air with water. It feels like a standard shower and has a steady, even spray. The only drawback: If you're tall, you may notice the water has cooled a little by the time it reaches your feet.
- Non-aerated: No air is mixed into the flow. It maintains heat and produces a forceful spray but the flow pulses. If you're partial to massage shower heads, this model is for you.
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RESULTS
- With an energy-efficient shower head, four family members taking five-minute showers each save at least 14,000 gallons of water a year. If only 10,000 other families installed energy-efficient shower heads, we could save about 140 million gallons. And 100,000 four-person families using energy-efficient shower heads could save 1.4 billion gallons.
- In a recent study, experts found that changing to an energy-efficient shower head for a family of four saved 27 cents a day on water and 51 cents a day on electricity. City Light customers may obtain one free shower head by calling
206.684.3800 or by sending an e-mail to
rescons.scl@seattle.gov.
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NOTE: Don't confuse energy-efficient shower heads with water restrictors, devices inserted in shower heads to reduce flow. They are not recommended.
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