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5 Ways to Save Water in the Bathroom

Did you know that the typical family uses 70% of their water in the bathroom, with toilet flushing accounting for 30% of the household water use? Therefore, it is important to ensure that we each think of ways to save water in the bathroom, in order to save the environment and cut down the price of your bills too – particularly if you are on a water meter. For more detailed information on how much water is wasted during showers, check out our post entitled ‘How Much Water Does a Shower Use?‘.

Despite this, it is also important to ensure you are making adaptions to your everyday routine to ensure you aren’t wasting water. Basic actions, such as turning the taps off when brushing your teeth and not running the shower for ages before getting in, can make a significant difference. Technology can only do so much, but the crux of saving water is primarily down to the individual using the water.

Here is a round-up of our top tips for saving water in the bathroom, from the experts at Showerstoyou.co.uk.

Top ways to save water in the bathroom:

1. Eco showerheads

Photo credit: ben bryant / Shutterstock

A five-minute shower using a traditional showerhead at 10 litres per minute will use approximately 50 litres of water. However, an eco-friendly showerhead can use as little as 7 to 8 litres of water per minute, using up to 40 litres in 5 minutes, which can make a considerable difference to your bill over time.

With an eco-showerhead, you can save up to 60% of water compared to a traditional showerhead. Some luxury showerhead options also use effervescence and aeration to the water, in order to help the water pressure feel much higher than it is. Despite this, many modern water-saving showers are effective enough that you won’t even notice much of a difference when having a shower anyway.

But when it comes to buying an eco-showerhead, you must bear in mind which types best suit your lifestyle. Before making a purchase, you must understand what you want from your tap or showerhead. For instance, you may decide to purchase the most sustainable type of shower for your home, only to realise that the reduced flow rate means that you have to spend twice as long in it in order to effectively get the shampoo out of your hair. This entirely defeats the object of an eco-shower, so be clear on exactly what you need before you make any purchase.

Please note: If you are in the market to renovate your bathroom, you may want to consider switching to a different type of shower. For instance, 5 minutes in a gravity-fed shower uses about 35 litres of water, compared to about 60 litres in a power shower – almost double.

Showers and Shower Valves | Showers to You

Showers and Shower Valves | Showers to You

2. Tap inserts

Photo credit: Grigvovan / Shutterstock

Tap inserts – also known as tap aerators or flow regulators – are a small attachment that either fits onto the end of the tap or can be inserted inside the existing spout. They aim to control the amount of water that flows through the tap, without affecting the water pressure as water is mixed with air.

Essentially, the tap aerator acts like a sieve, separating a single flow of water, thus introducing air into the water flow. Due to less space for the water to flow through, the water flow is reduced and can result in significant water savings.

Commonly, they are designed to regulate the flow rate on taps to only flow for around 5 litres per minute, compared to a standard 10 litre per minute flow rate, in order to reduce water usage. Despite being able to reduce your water intake by around half, the water pressure is still maintained, which means you won’t have to wash your hands under a trickle of water and take twice as long in the process.

Bathroom Taps | Showers to You

Bathroom Taps | Showers to You

3. Toilet flush system

Photo credit: J K Daylight / Shutterstock

Toilet flushing accounts for 30% of the household water use – a substantial amount. But just how much water your toilet uses is entirely dependent on the size of your cistern, and its age.

For example, if your toilet was installed after 1991, it is likely to be 9 litres (or more) in volume, and if it was installed after 1991, it is likely to be either 6, 7 or 8 litres in volume.

There are a variety of different water saving devices that you can add to your toilet cisterns once and never have to remove again, in order to reduce the amount of water being washed away per flush. This not only helps you to save water in your home, but also helps to reduce your carbon footprint and save you some money.

As a general rule, on toilets fitted before 1991, water saving toilet products can reduce the flush volume by up to 3 litres, whereas for those fitted after this, they can reduce the flush volume by up to 2 litres instead.

Please note: If your toilet is fitted to a macerator (a motorised device for discharging the waste into small bore waste pipes) or if the toilet is dual flush, the cistern volume should not be reduced with any type of water saving device, as these are already water efficient.

 

4. Water saving baths

Photo credit: Photographee.eu / Shutterstock

When taking a bath you use around 100 litres of water – double that of having a shower. So, when you are using so much water, you want to be as eco-friendly as possible to avoid a sky-high water bill. As a result, if you are in the market for a new bath, you may want to consider purchasing a bath tub that works for your washing habits, doesn’t use too much water and will retain its warmth, for example.

If you often have baths, it is advisable to consider a water saving bath, which saves water thanks to their economical design, shallower depth, meaning less water is required to fill the ball – without any loss of comfort to the user!

In addition, by installing a bath made from acrylic, the water will retain its warmth, so you won’t need to keep adding hot water whilst you’re trying to enjoy a long, relaxing soak in the bath.

 

5. Bath water saver

Greywater systems are commonplace in hotels, university hostels and even National Trust properties, but often aren’t found in the average home because they aren’t readily spoken about. This is mainly due to the fact that they require hard work, and cost between £3,000 and £6,000.

So, how do they work?

Photo credit: Sergey Novikov / Shutterstock

Greywater systems, unlike a rainwater harvesting system (which relies solely on rainfall), greywater is in ample supply daily. However, because greywater must be handled correctly and with care, it can be incredibly expensive.

Jacob Tompkins, from Waterwise, told the Telegraph:

“People in the UK are used to the finest quality water in the world coming out of their taps, but water-borne diseases are the world’s biggest killers. The problem with a greywater system is that you have to store contaminated water – water that may have been used to wash meat, wounds or who knows what. That means bacteria will start to breed, and it will start to smell after just three to four days.

As a result, you have to treat it like the water companies do, which would normally involve chemical treatment, filtering or using ultraviolet light. All of these options will increase your energy usage, on top of any energy you’ll use pumping the water into a storage tank and back out again around the house.”

While this won’t add much to your energy bills – it’s usually around £20 a year – it doesn’t make the system as environmentally friendly as first thought.

Alternatively, another cheaper and much more popular option among homeowners is a bathwater diverter, which is a simple and inexpensive piece of kit. The diverter can simply be fitted onto an exterior waste pipe, in order to divert your used bath water into an outdoor water butt – or straight to your hose – for use on plants or grass.

 

Feature image credit: Grigvovan / Shutterstock

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