Photo by Daniel Iggers
Have you checked your showerhead to see how efficient it is? What’s its GPM/LPM rating? Does it have infused oxygen, or a patented vacuum chamber? Does it keep the PSI constant?
Confused?
How about this idea? Start by taking a shorter shower! Every minute that you spend in the shower, you’re using precious gallons of H20.
I’ve outlined some of the benefits of reducing your shower routine below:
Conservation: If you were to reduce the length of your daily shower by just one minute, you’d save about 70,000 gallons (265,000 Liters) of water over your lifetime (assuming 2.5 GPM (9.5LPM) x 1 Minute reduction x 365 days/year * 75 years).
Saves Money: Water isn’t as “free” as you might think, and every drop that you use costs money. In your monthly utility bill, all the costs of storage, treatment, delivery, and heating are passed directly to you, the consumer. If you actually took the time to run all the numbers, I’m sure that the savings would be worth your time. (Oh wait, we’re talking about taking less time!)
Health Concerns: Chlorine and other chemicals present in tap water might be good for keeping out the microorganisms, but I’d rather not absorb large quantities of those chemicals through my skin.
It can be fun: When I was a little kid, I had a habit of taking my showers during tv commercial breaks. I find a short shower to be naturally invigorating. And I challenge you to beat my record time of 59 seconds. (This includes washing behind your ears). The clock starts when you turn the water on, and stops when you turn it off. I really don’t think its possible to get clean in a shorter amount of time.
I recommend that you start by getting an idea of how long you spend in the shower, so that you can take steps to reduce your impact on the planet, and save yourself some money. (You should also replace your showerhead with a more efficient one if you haven’t done so already. It’ll pay for itself in no time.)
Check out Clever Dude’s 5 QUICK Ways to Save Money IN the Bathroom, and Green Your Shower for more simple saving ideas.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Clever Dude // Apr 3, 2007 at 11:20 am
Hey, thanks for the link!
My sister-in-law takes 30 minute showers, which just confounds me, but she turns off the water when she’s lathering up or waiting for the conditioner to set in. I really don’t know what else she does in there for all that time, but at least she’s conserving water.
2 The Festival of Frugality #69, “Save All Week Long” Edition » Silicon Valley Blog About Money // Apr 10, 2007 at 2:36 pm
[…] Saving Simply: Who knew that saving money could be as easy as this! Hint: cut down on your singing in the shower and maybe you’ll get out of your bathroom quicker: Simple Saving Idea: Making Your Shower More Efficient. […]
3 Amy K // May 1, 2007 at 1:38 pm
I’m also a fan of the pause button in my shower. I couldn’t find the exact item online, but I did find a few showerheads with pause buttons, and this one is most like mine. Though mine is the pause button only, and I think it was $2.
I find it easier than turning off the water fully, then trying to get the temp right again.
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