Low-flow Shower Head, an Aerator’s Best Friend
An 8-minute, hot shower has become a daily staple for most. Amid the stresses of life, it’s a luxury that seems almost too good to be true.
In fact, I’m sorry to say, it is. The monetary and environmental costs of transforming your bathroom into an on-demand sauna are huge.
How bad could it be? This decadent pleasure costs upwards of $195 per year…for a household of two. For 12-minute shower-takers, it jumps to $270. If you’re living with roommates or children or have a parent in the house, the cost can easily double or triple.
And, of course, the cold, hard dollar amount never assumes the real costs to the environment that somehow never get factored into most equations.
So, what if I told you there was a way to have your cake and eat it too? There (kind of) is. It’s called a low-flow shower head. It’s not exactly a planet-saver, but it starts you along the right track.
Here’s the deal: Pre-1994 shower heads have flow rates that range between 3 and 5 GPM (Gallons Per Minute) -- think of the old shower at your grandparents’ place. Anything newer will be improved, but rated at around 2.5 GPM. Now, there are shower heads on the market with flow rates as low as 1.5 GPM.
Switching from a 2.5 GPM shower head to a 1.5 GPM one, you’ll save up to 40%. That’s just with five-minutes of time and a simple DIY replacement. (Btw, The Home Depot has an easy-to-understand guide on shower head switch-out.)
Now, if you really want to cut down on your water and energy use, change your habits along with your hardware. The calculation is simple: transition your 8-minute shower to 4 and automatically cut your usage in half.
And, even if you’ve never been in the military, think of adopting the military shower practice: instead of keeping a constant stream of water going, turn it on intermittently, just to get wet and wash off. Lather up without running water.
If you really want to save, switch over to cold showers. There’s no water to heat, and nobody takes a cold shower for long. There also may be some health benefits.
Still fixated on hardware rather than lifestyle? The last hot tip for you is a device called the ladybug shower head adapter. It makes sure that if you turn on the shower water to get it step-in ready, then accidentally leave to grab a phone call, it will kill the water once it gets to the right temperature so that you don’t waste it. Think of it as part of a backup system.
(And, of course, it may go without saying -- but I’ll say it anyway: collect all that shower water as it's heating up -- and before you step in -- into a plastic tub for watering plants.)
Learn more on ways to save water and money with LADWP.
Learn more about the assumptions behind Magenta House water and power savings calculations.
DETAILS
Upgrade: Water-saving shower head
Goal: Install heads rated between 1.5-2.5 GPM.
Potential Savings*: 8,760 – 11,680 gallons of water/yr, $136-$182/yr.
Skill level: ★☆☆
SAVINGS*
The average home savings calculation is based on the usage needs of a family of four and includes the following assumptions:
the home has two showers;
each member takes one hot, 6-8 minute shower per day;
savings assume the house is switching from 2.5 GPM to 1.5 GPM heads.
Based on these assumptions, the shower heads will cost $16-$100 per house in the first year.
Yearly water savings amount to 8,760-11,680 gallons per house. Yearly energy savings amount to 1,132-1,517 KWH per house, or $135.78 to $182.
