Did you know that low flow shower heads use between 1.6 – 2.6 gallons per minute while old shower heads use 2.6 – 5.2 gallons per minute? Probably a silly question to ask, but the most surprising part about these stats is that you can’t actually tell a difference in the water pressure.
Now I realize that most everybody takes showers now days due to convenience, but some people enjoy taking baths instead of showers on occasion or maybe even frequently. Truth is, few people think about how much more water usage is involved to fill up the tub.
I know that I’m not going to talk you into never filling your bathtub again but just so you are aware, the average person uses 78 gallons of water every time they take a bath? When you compare that to a 10 minute shower with a low flow head that uses only 16 gallons, now what do you think? Don’t forget, you are not just wasting water but the electricity or gas it took to heat that water too, not to mention the sewage or waste water bill that goes along with it.
So in essence if you have city water, you’re paying for bathing in 3 different ways. You pay for the water itself, the electricity or natural gas to heat the water used, and you’re paying for the sewage when the water goes down the drain.
I aim to simply make you aware of possible resource wastes and while you are putting some real effort into saving water and money, check your toilet’s gallon per flush or (GPF). You may have an older toilet that uses 7, 5, or 3.5 GPF while the new water saving standard is 1.6 GPF. You can even get a dual flush version that uses either 1.6 or 0.8 GPF depending on; well we’ll just say #1 or #2. A dual flush toilet will easily save you up to $100 per year on water and sewage or waste water bills.
Do you have a leaky faucet?
If you do, you should be aware that one drip per second can add up to 165 gallons per month. To better put this into perspective, 165 gallons is more than the average person uses in two weeks. With this in mind you will want to fix your leaky faucet as soon as possible since waiting can cost you more than a new shinny one.