When I say "how to water conservation" I mean that I intend to give some information on how to actually achieve a level of water savings. The water savings portion of this will be in the form of using less water at a minimum. However, there can be energy and money savings depending on your circumstances. If you have a water bill that essentially doesn't go up regardless of use, then you aren't going to save money from saving water except in terms of hot water usage. It does cost money to heat water.
It's quite difficult to figure out if you will be able to save significant money in this way due to the variability of your potential situation. Between what is included or not in your utilities, the size of your household, and how hot of a shower you might take, there can be significant variation. And that's mentioning only a few common variables. Because of this, I expect this to be more interesting to those looking to conserve actual resources, such as water and energy. You should definitely be able to save water and energy if you take advantage of a low flow showerhead.
So, I decided to focus on a particular low flow shower head I've used for years. There will be some math in it, and you'll even get a video to show some of it's performance. There are many on the market, but this one has lasted without any issues and has multiple features. OK. I want you to save water. Time to get into the how of it.
Pay Attention To The Flow, Don't Just Go With It
We'll start with flow rate. According to the EPA, a standard showerhead has a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm). The showerhead I chose to use has a flow rate of 1.5 gpm. So, off the bat, and keeping the shower time the same, you have a reduction of 40% water use.
You should also have a similar drop in the energy needed to heat your water. Though this has additional variables in it depending on factors like the type of water heater you have. For instance, standard water heaters fill up with water and maintain a preset temperature. So, it will be constantly turning on and off to maintain the temperature throughout a given day, using energy to do it. A tankless water heater takes a lot of initial energy to heat water fast. But, it only heats the water actually used. So, this can account for a long term potential energy savings.
Trickle Down Conservation
Another cool, useful feature of this low flow showerhead is that it has a trickle valve. It greatly restricts water flow such that you use much less water while you may be lathering up in the shower. When I timed it, I was able to fill up about 100 milliliters in approximately 10 seconds. So, that converts to about 0.156 gpm. You can keep it like this until you need to rinse off. The precise savings will depend on how long you spend actually lathering up and cleaning yourself. But lets set up a scenario.
The shower time will be set at 10 minutes. If you use a standard showerhead, this results in 25 gallons of water being used overall. A portion of that water needs to be heated to get to and maintain a comfortable temperature. Using the low flow showerhead would get you down to 15 gallons. Now, if you take into account the trickle valve, and saying that a person spends around 2 to 3 minutes lathering and cleaning, that reduces the water use to between 12.312 gallons (2 minute lather and cleaning) and 10.97 gallons (3 minute lather and cleaning).
Highlights
I want to note two things about this low flow showerhead. The first thing is that it can be used as a handheld showerhead. This is noteworthy to me because I got it when I moved to an apartment with a short shower. This took care of the problem of not having the showerhead above me. It also makes the showerhead more versatile for rinsing.
The second thing is that it's rated as a Watersense showerhead. You can find out more about Watersense here, but the gist is that it uses less than 2.0 gpm and has a shower quality similar to standard models. I see the "shower quality" portion of this meaning that it feels similar to the feel of a standard showerhead. I'd say I agree with that statement overall. While I can't show you the feel via words, images, or sound, I can at least show you what the showerhead looks like in full view and give you a bit of a demonstration as to it's use.
Demonstration And Product
So, if you're looking to save some water and energy with a sturdy, versatile shower head, get this one today! As an Amazon Associate, commission may be earned on qualifying purchases. If you haven't given any real thought to saving water and energy, here is a great opportunity to get started in the "how to water conservation" game.
High Sierra Handheld Low Flow Showerhead
