RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—If you’re in the habit of taking a shower with 20 showerheads that turn your bathroom into a veritable human car wash, the fun may soon be over. In an effort to cut down on energy use and water shortages, the Department of Energy (DOE) is fine-tuning the existing showerhead rules such that so-called shower “systems” may soon be a thing of the past. But even if you’re not into mega-showers, small adjustments can make a big difference in terms of water and energy savings for your home.
THE DETAILS: Since 1994, the DOE has required all showerheads to be manufactured with a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm). This saves water and cuts down on the energy used to heat all that water. But the shower industry folk, as industry folk tend to do, found a loophole that allowed them to install shower systems made up of a half dozen or more showerheads, each of which meet the 2.5-gpm standard. But together, they pump out 15 gallons of water per minute. That's 150 gallons during a 10-minute shower!
Last month, the DOE decided to clamp down by essentially saying these systems—not just each showerhead—had to comply with the 2.5-gpm limit. So much for those units that shoot water from walls, roofs, floors, and everywhere else bathroom designers were able to place a showerhead.
WHAT IT MEANS: It may seem intrusive for the government to control a daily ritual as personal as your shower, but its intentions are honorable. Showers account for 17 percent of household water usage and use an average of 30 gallons per household a day. And despite the fact that water always seems to come out of your faucets when you turn them on, 40 U.S. states will experience water shortages within the next four years, according to the nonprofit Alliance for Water Efficiency. Being smarter about your water use, particularly your hot water use, can also save you a bundle in energy costs, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For example, switching to low-flow hot-water fixtures would save about 300 kilowatt-hours annually, enough to power your television for a year.
If you love luxurious, drenching showers, there’s still hope. Here are tips on shopping for effective shower fixtures:
• Be WaterSense-ible. The EPA has a program called WaterSense that certifies low-flow faucets, aerators, and toilets based on how much water they use and how well they work compared to traditional fixtures. The program recently started certifying showerheads that use 2.0 gpm (a half-gallon less than the government allows) but still maintain the same water pressure as regular-flow models. The program is new, and the EPA hasn't compiled a list of certified showerheads yet, but when shopping, look for the WaterSense label. You can view info on the program here.
• Know your water pressure. When shopping for a low-flow showerhead, it helps to know what water pressure is in your home. If you live in a city or town and get municipal water, it’s likely the standard 80 pounds-per-square inch (psi). But if you live in a rural area and have a private well, the pressure could be as low as 35 psi. Lower water pressures mean less water gets pumped through the showerhead, so even a standard 2.5 gpm unit may emit more like 1.5 gpm, resulting in wimpy, annoying showers. The answer? If the pressure in your home is low, look for a showerhead model optimized for low water pressures. This will yield more powerful showers.
• Don't get lazy about it. Once you find a low-flow showerhead you like, you may be tempted to linger longer than you normally would. Try not to, as a 10-minute shower with a 1.5 gpm showerhead still uses more water than a five-minute shower with a 2.5 gpm showerhead. If you can't seem to stick to shorter showers, buy a waterproof digital clock or timer that’ll tell you when time’s up.
• Fix drips. It's not just showers that can use a ton of water. Household water leaks are so bad in the U.S. that the EPA estimates the average home could fill an 11,000-gallon pool every year just from dripping faucets, showerheads, and leaky toilets. Ask at your local hardware store for advice on fixing leaks.
• Aim for half. If some of your household's bath takers are small children, you can save water by filling your tub halfway. A full bath tub holds 40 gallons of water or more, so a half-filled tub will save you 20 gallons of water every bath time.