Having a very good shower is one of life’s pleasures. So switching to an energy-saving shower is often met with skepticism.

• How much energy can a new shower head save me?

Changing over a shower head is probably the most instant, cost effective things a person / household can do to reduce their water and energy footprints. So effective that the embodied energy in the old shower head is not an issue. Recycle it.

The figures below are based on a 3 person household, each person having one shower per day at 7 minutes each. (If 7 sounds a bit high, take into account teenagers who have much longer showers.)

Energy saving:
Replacing a normal shower head with the one pictured would result in energy saving of approx 1,800 kilowatt-hours in a year – up to one fifth of your household power bill

Water saving:
This amounts to a water saving of approx 90,000 litres per year. (Compare this water saving with, say, the prohibitive cost of installing a water tank, costing several hundred dollars.)

Money saving
Approx $250 per year

• But will I still get a good shower?

From our experience many Australians would rather put up with catastrophic climate change than put up with a second rate shower.

Well it doesn’t have to come to that. It’s all in the science of how water is delivered. With older shower heads most of the water never touches your body, just goes down the drain unused.

• How do I check the flow rate of my existing shower?

1. Turn on your shower (cold water only) to the normal flow rate that you shower.
2. Hold a measuring container or bucket of known volume under the flow of water.
3. Time the flow and convert to litres per minute.
4. If your figure shows much above 9 then you need to replace your shower head.

• Where can I find an energy efficient shower head?

There is a confusing array of shower heads on the market, so take your time to pick a good one. Some are good, some not so.

You will that all shower heads on the market these days are marked as 3-star, so that’s not much help. Many are simply older style shower heads that have a flow restrictor inserted into them.

Generally you will get a much better shower from one of the newly developed hi-tech shower heads that will give you a very good shower using less than 9 litres per minute. Pick one that is marked less than 9 litres per minute.

The one pictured at top is a super efficient model that gives you a ‘bloody good shower’ at 5.5 litres per minute.

Rather than go to a hardware store, try the specialist eco-suppliers, like Todae or Neco or Easy Being Green. Their products are probably more likely to be good.

Warning: If you have very low water pressure (non mains) – some hi-tech shower heads may not work effectively.