Problem
In order to stop global warming, everyone must make efforts to “go green.” To “go green” means taking whatever steps we can to create an eco-friendly lifestyle. There are steps we can take to save energy and water, and save money as well, by “going green” in an eco-friendly bathroom, especially when it comes to eco-friendly showers and bathtubs. What are those steps?
Solution
The steps to “go green” in an eco-friendly bathroom include:
- Installing a low flow shower head. Showers waste lots of water and large amounts of energy to heat the water. This will cost you less than $20 and save thousands of gallons of water, as well as lower your water bill.
- Think “go green” in the shower. The eco-friendly shower curtain is made of biodegradable plastic, called polyethylene vinyl. When you no longer need it, it won’t stay in a landfill for hundreds of years.
- If you really want to save water, however, consider an air shower. An eco-friendly air shower can be attached to your existing showerhead. It pumps each water drop full of air. This makes each droplet bigger, so it feels just as wet and strong as water from a typical showerhead, even though you are using much less water.
- Heat your water efficiently. Most people wait until their water heater breaks to buy a new one. This means you have to find one quickly, without shopping around for an eco-friendly water heater.
- Recycle your shower and bath water into your garden, or, better yet, buy an Eco-shower which cleans used water for subsequent use indoors.
- Faucets can also conserve water by installing aeration nozzles.
Effectiveness / Result
Needless to say, the results of installing eco-friendly showers, curtains, water heaters, faucets, and eco-friendly bathtubs in eco-friendly bathrooms will save millions of gallons of water each year.
The Facts
A typical showerhead delivers 25 litres of water per minute, while a low-flow showerhead delivers only 6 to 15. If you cut your shower time in half and use a low-flow showerhead, you’ll save a great deal of water every day. (4)
Studies show that eco-friendly air showers can cut your water use by 30%. (4)
A new eco-friendly shower design actually recycles water, reducing consumption and saving customers from high utility bills. (4) The Eco-shower re-circulates and cleans used water using filters and hydro cyclones to clean it and reheat it for further use. If all Londoners used an eco-friendly shower, it would reduce the capital’s water use by 85 billion litres each year. The Eco-shower won the British Standards Institution 2005 Environmental Design Award. (4)
Most water heaters are storage heaters, a big tank of water that’s constantly heated. Because it’s always kept warm, this type of heater loses energy even when not in use. However, there are some new models that are designed to minimize energy loss. Look for a tankless water heater or a solar heater. A tankless heater passes water pipes directly through the boiler, while a solar heater uses the sun’s energy to heat water. Both of these cost more to install, but less to run. (4)
Eco-friendly bathtubs have faucets that conserve water. Taking a bath uses a lot more water than taking a shower. Leaky faucets waste millions of litres of water per year. To prevent leaks from your bathroom taps, replace your old bathtub and sink faucets with self-closing taps that shut off the water as soon as you stop pressing a button. This turns water off while you brush your teeth or shave, and keeps your faucets from leaking. (2)
