Water Efficiency Showers and Showerheads

You may expect a shower to be more water efficient than taking a bath; however that may not necessarily be the case. While a quick shower is usually more water efficient than a bath, some high-volume power showers use more water in less than five minutes, than you would use to fill a bath. Hence to make a decision on whether to bath or shower you need to consider the type of shower, shower head and water flow rate alongside the time spent in the shower.

In most cases showers are more water efficient than baths as they generally use less water. In addition to this showers are cleaner, more convenient and generally quicker. They do not only save water but also gas and electricity as 70% of water used in showers is hot, so reducing the amount of water used means you are also reducing the amount of water to be re-heated and therefore saving on energy. In contrast, an average bath uses around 80 litres of water whereas a five minute shower at 10 litres per minute will use only 50 litres of water. A Water Efficient Single Spray Showerhead or Mira Eco Showerhead will use as little as 7-8 litres of water per minute, using only up to 40 litres of water. As the water is either regulated and/or aerated, you can still experience a pleasant shower. Without any sacrifices you can save water (if on a water meter), money and reduce your utility bills by simply fitting an energy efficient showerhead. Due to these benefits around 85% of homes now have one or more shower installed.

Water-saving shower heads

Shower heads control the water flow rate and spray pattern of your shower. They come in a range of shapes and sizes and the design can directly affect water consumption. Before you buy a new showerhead it is best to check if a water saving shower head will benefit you and a simple test will help you decide this. With a measuring jug, unscrew the existing showerhead, put the end of the hose into the measuring jug and let the water flow into the jug for 1 minute. The number of litres collected within these 60 seconds determines how many litres of water per minute your system supplies. If there are more than 9 litres of water in the measuring jug, you will benefit from installing a water efficient showerhead.

Water efficient showerheads can reduce the amount of water consumption by using one of the following methods:

• By aerating the water, this mixes the water with air to reduce the amount of water needed

• Using a flow restrictor will reduce the flow rate as they ‘pulsate' the water

• Using a flow regulator will reduce the flow of water but maintain a regulated and constant flow to provide a pleasant shower