Living Greener

Green Advice ~ Living Greener Calculator

Let’s calculate the cost and amount of resources used in your shower.

Where you should be aiming.

You should be aiming to shower for only four minutes a day. If you choose a low water use showerhead – they cost about $20 – and use water at the rate of six litres per minute, giving quite a comfortable shower, then your shower should only consume 24 litres of water and cost you about 15 cents.

However, most showerheads pour water out at 15 litres per minute or more and most people shower for about six minutes on average, leading to a usage of about 90 litres of precious water and cost about 60 cents (this cost is similar if you use off-peak electricity or gas and includes water costs).

So that simple change can save 45 cents per shower and about $55 per month in a four person household.

If you don’t want to change your current showerhead, an alternative option is to install an eco valve for about $32. These valves restrict water flow to less than nine litres per minute so that everyone can do their bit for the environment, every time they shower!