Energy-Efficient Showerheads

An energy-efficient showerhead costs from about $8 to more than $90, depending on the model. It can cut your hot water shower use by upwards of 35% or more, thus paying for itself in months.	It’s a small investment, with easy installation and a big payback.	It will reduce a homeowner’s greenhouse gas emissions by about 650 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

What does water use have to do with climate change?  It takes an immense amount of energy to put water through the municipal system from treatment and purification to pumping it to your home.  Then of course, it has to be heated by natural gas before it reaches your showerhead.

Showers account for about 22 per cent of the total water use, and up to two-thirds of the hot-water use, in the typical Canadian home.  A family of four that takes daily five-minute showers uses 70,000 litres of hot water a year – that amount doubles to 140,000 litres if the average shower is 10 minutes long.  To put that in perspective, a family of four taking daily five-minute showers uses as much water in six months as a typical person’s lifetime supply of drinking water, assuming they drink a litre per day.

A simple change of your showerhead to an energy-efficient model can cut that hot water use by up to 35 per cent or more.  A good energy-efficient showerhead will save your typical family of four at least 25,000 litres of water a year – and about $65 on your natural gas bill – without changing your showering habits or making any difference in performance.  Besides effortlessly slashing your water and natural gas use, switching to an energy-efficient showerhead is a terrific investment, paying for itself in months and reaping considerable savings year after year.  Of course, you can greatly increase these savings by getting in the habit of taking a five-minute, instead of a 10-minute, shower.

What is an energy-efficient showerhead?

Prior to the early 1990s, many showerheads had water flow rates of five to eight gallons per minute.  The U.S. Federal Energy Policy Act of 1992 required all subsequent showerheads to have a maximum water flow of 2.5 U.S. gallons (9.5 litres) per minute, at a water pressure of 80 pounds per square inch.  So while some manufacturers claim that a showerhead with a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute is energy efficient, or low flow, it is only in comparison to a pre-1992 showerhead.  To be truly energy efficient, today’s showerheads should have a maximum flow rate of two gallons or less per minute.  Showerheads with flow rates of around 1.5 gallons per minute are increasingly common; models boasting maximum flows of as little as half a gallon per minute are now available.

How can I determine the flow rate of my current showerhead?

The flow rate is inscribed, in small print, on many showerheads. If it’s not, or if the number has worn off or is illegible, hold a one-gallon bucket under the head while the shower is running at full force.  If it takes about 24 seconds to fill, the flow rate is 2.5 gallons per minute.  If it takes much longer to fill, you’ve got an energy-efficient showerhead.  If the bucket fills much faster, you’ve got a dinosaur; replacing it with, say, a 1.5-gallon-per-minute model could slash your hot-water use by 80 per cent.

Will the feel of my shower be adversely affected by an energy-efficient showerhead?

If you buy a good model, you should notice little or no difference in your showerhead’s performance.  Today’s energy-efficient showerheads generally mix air into the water stream to maintain a steady pressure, resulting in the same water force with only about half the water flow.  Many such models offer the full range of options – including pulsing, massaging, misting and other settings – found in standard showerheads. Some bare-bones models, with a small head, will produce only a misting action that users may find unsatisfactory.

How easy is it to replace an older showerhead with an energy-efficient model?

In many cases, it’s just a matter of unscrewing your old showerhead from the shower water line and screwing the new one in (see the “How to" guide for more details).

How easy is it to find energy-efficient showerheads at a home improvement store, and how much do they cost?

Most such retail stores will offer a couple of showerhead models with maximum flow rates of around 1.5 or 1.6 gallons per minute.  Beware of manufacturers’ claims of energy-efficient, low-flow or water-saving showerheads. Always check the box for the flow rates.  If it says 2.5 gallons per minute, it’s not energy efficient, and if the flow rate is not listed on the box, don’t buy it.  Some bare-bones models (mentioned above) sell for less than $10, while some fancier models can list for more than $90. Depending on the features you’re looking for, you should be able to find a reasonable energy-efficient model for between $35 and $60.

Some very low-flow showerheads (one gallon per minute or less) are currently found only online (check to see if U.S. sites will ship to Canada), while some well-regarded ones, such as Bricor, are only available at wholesale outlets. You may be able to get these latter models if you’re working with a home builder/renovator or plumber.

What’s more energy efficient, taking a shower or a bath?

A shower uses a lot less hot water if you take shorter showers and use a water-conserving showerhead. Most baths use between 30 and 50 gallons (roughly 120 to 200 litres) of hot water. By comparison, a five-minute shower with a 1.5-gallon-per-minute showerhead consumes only 7.5 gallons/30 litres. Those numbers double to 15 gallons/60 litres if you take a 10-minute shower. Even a 2.5-gallon-per-minute showerhead (the maximum flow rate you can buy since 1992) uses only 12.5 gallons/50 litres for a five-minute shower and 25 gallons/100 litres for a 10-minute shower.

Should I look for energy-efficient models with pause or shutoff buttons?

The ability to stop the water flow while you soap up and apply shampoo – a so-called navy shower – can significantly increase your hot water savings.  The pause/shutoff button is particularly useful if you have separate hot and cold taps, as it allows you to immediately return to the same water temperature when you turn the water back on.  Some users with modern single-lever controls find it easier to just turn the water off while they lather up and then quickly turn the water back to the same setting.  This action also reduces any back-flow pressure when the pause/shutoff button is engaged and eliminates the possibility of accidentally leaving the pause button on when you exit the shower, thinking the shower’s turned off.