Install low flow shower heads and taps - Wiki Thing

Water and carbon saved by installing low flow shower heads and taps

Over 60% of the water we use in our homes gushes out of our showers and sinks. ¹ Showers can use anything from 12 litres to 45 litres a minute, with power showers using as much water as a bath in just a few minutes. ² The average shower will use around 15 litres of water a minute. Installing low flow showerheads and taps can reduce the amount of water we consume by around 50-70%, bringing the shower flow for example down to 6-9 litres a minute, without compromising on water pressure. For an average shower length of 8 minutes this can save 60 litres of water, as well as corresponding energy and carbon savings.

Carbon saved by installing low flow taps and showerheads

We use on average 150 litres of water each day, 63% through our taps and showers. Therefore
0.63 x 150 = 94.5 litres is used in our taps and showers.

Around half of this, about 47.25 litres every day, or 17,246 litres every year per person, can be saved by installing low flow fittings. If we assume that 75% of the water used in sinks and taps will be cold, 25% hot:

Cold water portion 75%: 0.75 x 17,246 litres = 12,935 litres
Hot water portion 25%: 0.25 x 17,246 litres = 4,312 litres

Carbon footprint of unheated tap water is 0.0003 kg per litre so = 0.0003 x 12,935 litres = 3.9 kg CO2 for cold water portion, per year per person

Carbon footprint of hot water (for a thermostat temperature of 60°C): ³

Energy needed to heat 1 litre by 1°C = 0.0011kWh
Carbon intensity of gas = 0.19 kg CO2 per kWh

Temperature elevation needed from 10°C to 60°C = 50°C
Energy needed to heat water to 60°C = 0.0011 kWh x 4312 litres x 50°C = 237.2 kWh

Carbon emitted by hot water: 237.2 x 0.19 = 45 kg CO2 per year

Hot + cold emissions = 45 + 3.9 = 49 kg CO2 per person per year

Or for 2.3 people per household = 112.7 kg CO2 per household

How low-flow fixtures work: ⁴

Aerated taps/showerheads: Air is bubbled in with the water, reducing the amount of water used but allowing a soft bubbly flow without any reduction in water pressure.