Benefits of Using a Low-flow Shower Head

Conserving water has fast become a national movement, with the Environmental Protection Agency campaigning for more conservative water usage and promoting the use of low-flow shower heads through the WaterSense program.  It’s no joke either, considering that the average household could save thousands of gallons per year by installing one.

Considering that showering accounts for around 20-30% of overall household water usage, it’s a good first step to take when making more environmentally friendly changes around the home.

A few years ago, showerheads delivered about 5 to 8 gallons per minute (gpm).  The current standard today is a shower head that dispenses 2.5 gallons of water each minute, or lower flow shower head which disperses 2 gallons or less of water per minute.  A quick tip to find out if your current shower head is wasting water is to put a one gallon container in the shower, turn on the water, and count the time it takes to fill up completely. If it fills up in 15 seconds, the flow rate is about 4 gpm. If it’s full in 10 seconds, the flow rate is closer to 6 gpm. With a low-flow head, it should take 24 seconds or more.  So when you’re looking to make the switch to a more sustainable and green shower accessory, consider these benefits of choosing a low-flow model.

Benefits: Low flow shower heads can decrease water consumption by 40% or more! This not only conserves water, but it cuts down on your monthly water bill providing significant end-of-year savings. Showers take energy to heat the water, thus cutting down on water usage also cuts down on energy usage. You can expect to save up to $50 annually on heating costs. It also cuts down on carbon dioxide emissions. Since the demand for hot water is lessened, the amount of energy used is lower and results in lower CO2 dispersed into the air.

Misconceptions: Low-flow doesn’t mean low-pressure for a lower quality shower.. Older models of low-flow shower heads were less effective as they slowed the water pressure down to a trickle. The newer versions that have been coming out as of late use a mix of smaller apertures and air to create stronger pressure for a more pleasant shower.  So don’t worry ladies, washing the shampoo out of your hair won’t be a problem!
There are many worthwhile benefits to switching to a low-flow shower head, especially since newer models have fixed the initial low-pressure issues that many people disliked with older models. And with the combination of cost savings each year, a new model will pay for itself a few times over in the first year alone.

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