Shower Better (Controversial!)

Shower Better

 

Watch the Shower Better video, or read the (more detailed) article below – your choice!

I’m going to start with a controversial statement, and then I’m going to tell you that you’re forgetting something important!

So, let’s get controversial.

You’re probably showering too often!

Many people shower every day. But most of us don’t need to.

But – won’t we be dirty if we don’t shower every day?

shower better unless you're a coal miner Well, it depends on what you do. If you live in a temperature-controlled home, travel in a temperature-controlled car to a temperature-controlled office and then travel home again, you’re not really going to get much dirt on you, are you?  Now if you worked in a coal mine, for example, that’s a different matter!

Plus, did you know that washing less often can be better for us?

The natural oils in our skin are washed away by hot water, particularly if we also use soaps that strip the skin. That leaves the skin dry and uncomfortable. When you wash less often, it seems counter-intuitive, but your skin is less vulnerable to bacteria and viruses, and the body naturally decreases the amount of oil it produces and less washing is needed.

So, you can Shower Better by showering less often.

You can also Shower Better by showering more quickly.

shower better WaterSense_Button_lineupIn the USA, showers are typically the third largest water use after toilets and clothes washers.  But in the UK, showering now accounts for the biggest single use of water in the home.

The average American shower uses 18 gallons (68 litres) and lasts for 8 minutes. It’s a fairly similar story in the UK – an average shower lasts seven-and-a-half minutes and uses about 49 litres (13 gallons). However, if a “power shower” is used, water usage increases to about 60 litres – and in fact some power showers use even more!

On average, Britons shower 4.4 times a week, compared with almost every day for many Americans.

shower better so you don't waste water down the drainThe more you shower, the more of your hard-earned money goes down the plughole.  So Shower Better by showering less often and for less long.

In the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Shower Better Campaign recommends that you use WaterSense labelled showerheads. They save water and energy while still providing a satisfying spray. WaterSense labeled showerheads come in all kinds of styles and price points, and some utilities offer rebates to help offset the cost.

By replacing just one showerhead with a WaterSense labeled model, the EPA estimates the average family can save almost 3,000 gallons of water, the amount of electricity needed to power its home for 13 days, and more than $70 in energy and water costs every year.

shower better epa infographic

When you use a WaterSense labelled showerhead, each year you’ll save enough water to wash more than 70 loads of laundry! (That’s a lot of dirty socks!). 🙂

In the UK, water-saving lo-flo showerheads are readily available and also provide a satisfying spray.

And now, here’s what you’re forgetting!

When we think of energy use, we think of the cost of running a car, of heating and cooling, or running electrical appliances. It’s all too easy to turn on the tap and not think about the consequences. But there is an environmental and energy cost attached to water which we often forget.

The EPA calls it The Drops–to–Watts Connection

A lot of energy is used to carry every drop of water you use from a drinking water source to a treatment plant that makes it safe to drink, and more energy is needed to carry it through water pipes to your house.

shower better water from hoover dam

 

shower better waste water treatment plantshower better without water leak

 

 

 

 

 

 

And it doesn’t stop there. If you want that water to be hot – for showering, bathing, shaving, cooking and cleaning for example), it takes energy to warm it up before it comes out of the tap.

Homes with electric water heaters (rather than gas or solar) spend one-fourth of their total electric bills just to heat water.

shower better with less electricity Water is also used to cool the power plants that generate the electricity we use every day. So every time your television, computer, or lights use energy, water is being used up too. In fact, it takes 3,000 to 6,000 gallons of water to power one incandescent light bulb left on 12 hours a day for a year.

So, shower less often, and take shorter showers. And here’s a fun video which shows you another 6 ways to save water in the shower. When you Shower Better, you save water, you save energy, you save money, and you help to save the planet – that’s a win-win!

Share these great ideas (buttons below and right) – thank you!


Tags

EPA, save water, shower better, shower sense, water


  • I really like this whole idea. The manner in which the facts are given are quite clear. Where I currently live it is often quite humid (as high as 95%) but with careful management I can cut down showers to 2/3 in winter and 3/4 in high summer per week.

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