As people are currently exploring every way possible to reduce their energy consumption and avoid spiralling bills, one place where on cut costs is in the bathroom.
Belgians spend an average of nine minutes in the shower. Between shampoos, the application of a hair mask, and body scrubs, time can very quickly pass. In order to reduce the energy bill, this duration should be reduced by four minutes and therefore not exceed five minutes under the shower.
This results in a benefit of 128 euros on your bill, according to data provided by the information centre Milieu Centraal. Best of all, you will save 15,000 litres of hot water and 618 kWh of natural gas on an annual basis.
Is taking a shower more economical than a bath?
Short answer: yes, it is, as long as you don't stay in there for 20 minutes. A bath requires between 150 and 200 litres of hot water.
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If you spend less than five minutes in the shower, you consume between 60 and 90 litres of water. Longer than that and you are getting closer to the amount of water used in an average bathtub.
To help you spend less time under the shower, you can set a timer or shower for length of a song. Provided it lasts less than five minutes of course. Avoid ‘Hey Jude’ by the Beatles, for example, or ‘Stairway to Heaven’ by Led Zeppelin which last more than seven minutes.
Other tips
When proceeding to the stage of shampoo or body scrub, do not forget to turn off the water. You can save up to 20 litres this way, according to energy provider Engie.
Also think about swapping to an economical shower head. Consumer association Test Achats explains that they help to reduce water consumption to 6-7 litres per minute, instead of 10-15 litres per minute with an ordinary head, without any loss of comfort.
This results in a benefit of 128 euros on your bill, according to data provided by the information centre Milieu Centraal. Best of all, you will save 15,000 litres of hot water and 618 kWh of natural gas on an annual basis.
