Water Conservation in the Shower

How much water do you think is used by showering in the United States annually?  According to the EPA, that figure is 1.2 trillion gallons.  Reducing the amount of fresh water you use in the shower can be very simple, and important.  The Earth Policy Institute states that water tables are, "falling under the Great Plains and throughout the southwest."  Water shortages could occur if the water is used before the water tables have a chance to replenish.

Installing a low flow showerhead can drastically lower your water usage.  Showerheads with a water sense label use a maximum of 2 gallons of water per minute (gpm) while standard showerheads use 2.5 gpm.  Comparing the two figures, a low flow showerhead saves at least half a gallon of water each minute.  While half a gallon may not sound like a lot, imagine if everyone in your community had low flow showerheads.  That would result in a lot of water saved everyday.

Installing a low flow showerhead is a great start, but to save additional water, more or perhaps less, needs to be done.  Quite simply, showering for shorter periods of time.  A low flow showerhead does not help conserve water if you stand under it until the hot water heater is drained.  Before you step into the shower, make a goal of showering in less than a certain time.  An egg timer or stopwatch app can also help you know when it is time to start drying off.

A final suggestion for saving water is to temporarily turn off the water while you wash and shampoo. While scrubbing and lathering, you don't need the water running.  In fact, the water could be rinsing some of the soap or shampoo off of your hands while you wash, causing you to require more soap and shampoo.  When you are done washing, simply turn the water back on and rinse.  I've found that turning the water off is quite easy with showers that have a single handle.  Showers that have hot and cold handles are trickier to turn back on since it can be more difficult to correctly adjust the heat of the water.

What tips do you have for saving water in the shower?  We would love read your comments.