Water & carbon saved by taking shorter showers
A recent study
showed that we spend on average around 8 or 9 minutes a day in the shower. The average shower will use around 15 litres of water a minute, so reducing our shower times even by a small amount will help save water, energy and CO2.
Why it's important to save water
We live in a country where it can and does generally rain at any time, and because of this people don't generally think we have water problems. Yet the last 10 years have seen generally drier winters and warmer summers, and that trend is predicted to continue. An average shower can use more water in a minute than a person in Africa might have for their whole day. Water covers over 70% of our planet's surface, but 97% of that is undrinkable and 2% is locked in ice at the poles. 0.5% is inaccessible, leaving 0.5% for our needs and those of all the plants and animals we share our planet with. This is why it is so important we look after the precious resources we have.
Over a billion people - 1 in 5 people across the world, lack access to clean water and this is expected to rise to over 5 billion people (two thirds of the global population) by 2025.
But water shortages are not just a problem in developing countries. Apart from Belgium and Cyprus, the UK has less water available per person than any other EU country and our capital city is even drier than Istanbul. Because of its high population and low rainfall, the south east of England has less water per capita than the Sudan or Syria.
And we are using more water than ever. Each person uses on average 150 litres of water a day in the UK, 50% more than we did 25 years ago and 70% more than we did 40 years ago. Other countries have their own issues to contend with. Cities around the world such as Beijing and Mexico City are sinking into the ground at a rate of inches per year due to over-extraction of groundwater supplies. Analysts have predicted water shortages and wars if we can't learn to manage our resources better. It is therefore vitally important we take care of the water we have, and learn to save and use it more efficiently.
Carbon saved by taking shorter showers
Cutting our showers in half could save, assuming an 8 minute shower and a flow of 15 litres per minute, would save 60 litres of water per day.
Calculating carbon emitted by heating water (for a thermostat temperature of 60°C):
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 60 litres x 50°C = 3.3 kWh
Carbon saved by taking a shorter shower: 3.3 x 0.19 = 0.63 kg CO2 per shower
Resources that may help with shorter showers
Shower timers
It's easy to lose track of time in the shower, so investing in a shower timer will definitely help. Here are some places you can get them:
Water Group Promotions
http://www.watergrouppromotions.co.uk/b2c/shop/ripple.aspx
Aqualogic
http://www.aqualogic-wc.com/dis_prod.asp?cid=32
Shower Manager
http://www.showermanager.com/
Water meters
A survey
showed that households installed with water meters spent less time in the shower than un-metered households, and also consumed less water in general and had cheaper bills. In the UK you can check online whether it will be cheaper to switch to a water meter at uswitch.com. Water companies will supply meters free of charge to most UK residents. See here
for water company contact details.
 
Footnotes
