Save Energy in the Bathroom

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From an energy point of view the bathroom is a place where a lot of energy is used – and thus a great saving opportunity.

 

Our use of bathrooms has grown a lot in recent years. That's not to say that people didn't wash in the past, they just did it in different ways. Growing up my Dad used to jump in a bath once a week. On the other nights he'd strip wash with a basin of warm water and a flannel. When we were growing up in the 1970's, bathnight was twice a week.

Nowadays we have become so used to having hot water on tap that we think nothing of bathing or showering once or even twice every day. Were we to have to stoke the fire each time, we might think about things rather differently!

 

 

 

HOW IT WORKS

 

Of all the hot water we heat up, the bathroom is the where we use the most. Typically 90% of all the domestic hot water gets used by us in the bathroom. And given that water takes a phenomenal amount of energy to heat it, it is an area ripe for some big energy savings.

 

The main thing we can tackle is the quantity of hot water consumed. This can be by both changing habits or using some interesting new products about that allow you to improve the efficiency of your daily shower. Whatever way it is done, savings are generated on every day you use it.

 

 

Bath vs. Shower

 

It is often said that a shower uses less hot water than a bath. However times they are a changin’. Showers may have used less in the past, but the current trend for “power showers” has caused showers to catch up - because power showers seriously guzzle the gas.

 

It’s all down to the water flow rates. A traditional shower might use 4.5 – 7 litres per minute; however our power shower which came with the house uses 15 ltr / min at full whack– ie: using between 2 and 3 times as much water and energy! In terms of fossil fuel consumption it’s like replacing a Mini with a Landrover. So what steps can we take… ?

 

POSITIVE STEPS

 

  Turn down the volume

The simplest way to reduce the amount of water used is by turning down the flow rate to the lowest level that still gives a decent shower. Most showers have a flow control and on our power shower it’s way too easy to turn it up to full whack without thinking. Equally though, it’s easy to turn it back down to a lower level. I’ve found that 8 ltr / min is quite acceptable which is a 50% saving over the full whack rate.

 

Turning down the shower in this way on a regular basis can make a good dent in the amount of hot water consumed.

 

If you want to know how much you're saving in doing this, take a bowl into the shower and see how many times it is filled in say a minute at the normal shower rate. Then do the same at a reduced flow and compare the difference. It can be staggering.

  

  Time

Obviously the longer the shower is run for, the more energy it uses. So reducing a 5min shower to a 4min shower will save you 20% of energy every time you do it.

 

Depending on how much you want to save, you could take this to the extreme and try the “Navy shower” technique. In this the water consumption is reduced to the bare minimum by switching the shower off when you are soaping etc, and only switching it back on for rinsing away the lather.

  

  Shower head type 

 

There has recently been a focus on the shower head as a way of improving efficiency.

 

This has been mostly driven by water scarcity particularly in Australia where the public have been asked to reduce the amount they shower to conserve water.

 

However, the savings also apply to energy. The new type heads often cut consumption by around a third, with some injecting air into the spray so it feels the same as a stronger shower whilst actually using less water.

 

 

 

  Baths

 

The trouble with showers is that all the precious hot water coming out of it spends only a couple of seconds in contact with you before pouring down the drain, never to be seen again. Of course a bath is completely different, and you can wallow in the same warm water for ages – depending on how good the book is of course.

 

But the fact is that the whole family can share the same hot water, with maybe a little topping up with hot. As a family we were brought up sharing baths – in two shifts – and had great fun. It sure makes the hot water go a lot further.

 

  Fans

 

If you have an extractor fan in your bathroom this will use energy in two ways. Firstly it will consume around 20 – 40 Watts of electricity in running. Not a big problem for the few minutes you’re in there, but becomes a big problem if you forget to switch it off after – and find out a few hours later. Or when you come back from holiday!

 

The other way they use energy is by pumping out the air from your home. This is a big problem when the weather’s cold as the fan is sucking that nicely warmed air from your central heating and venting it straight out of the roof. In fact this will be a bigger loss than the electricity used in doing so.

 

The answer as ever, is switch off if not required.

 

Also as one who loves a nice steamy bath, I’ve noticed that the bath remains warmer if the door is shut and the fan is off. Less evaporation occurs if it’s humid, meaning less cooling, and a longer, warmer bath for yours truly. Yet another saving to enjoy whilst wallowing !