A typical shower head sprays water at 2.5 gallons per minute. That can add up to a lot of water and a lot of energy to heat it.
A B.C. Hydro promotion two years ago introduced our household to a shower head that uses 1.5 gallons per minute.
(That’s about 9.5 litres vs. 5.7 litres.)
There was some trepidation when I proposed installing it. Having a shower head that dribbles was not acceptable.
The Niagara low-flow shower head that I bought proved to be a good performer, providing a decent, comfortable spray. The household noticed a difference, but not enough to inspire sustained whining.
I have compared our low-flow shower head’s performance against those in hotels and in other people’s homes where I have been a guest. It stands up well.
For a five-minute shower, it uses 7.5 gallons vs. 12.5 gallons. Over a week, it’s 52.5 gallons vs. 87.5. Over a year, it's 2,737.5 gallons vs. 4,562.5.
The shower head we bought is no longer sold through B.C. Hydro, but similar units are readily available at retailers.
You might have to scour the fine print to find the flow rate. Some shower head makers do not seem inclined to trumpet the number. They might call their shower head “efficient” but you need to know more than that.
I confirmed the flow rate of our shower head by using a bucket with volume markings and a stop watch.
My attraction to gadgets caused the shower head switch. The savings on the water and electric bills have been a welcome bonus.
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