An Easy Way To Saving Energy And Water

With increasing pressure to save energy and water, homeowners can sometimes sacrifice the use of a bath, for the more stringent shower. When deciding whether to install a bath or a shower you may want to consider which of the two saves more water. Taking a shower instead of a bath is a commonly known money/energy saving tip. To save water through shower usage depends on the time you spend in the shower and how quickly the shower head dispenses water. A typical bathtub requires about 30 gallons for a bath. A standard shower head will flow about 3 gallons per minute. In five minutes, this uses only 15 gallons of water.

Using a low-flow shower head can cut the total water usage to less than ten gallons saving thousands of gallons of water per year. Depending on your showerhead and whether it has a flow restrictor in it and how long you shower, the answer could oscillate either towards shower or bath.

There are two types of low-flow shower heads: aerating and non-aerating.

Aerating - mixes air into the water stream. This maintains steady pressure so the flow has an even, full shower spray. Because air is mixed in with the water, the water temperature can cool down a bit towards the floor of the shower. Aerating shower heads are the most popular type of low-flow shower head.

Non-aerating - air is not mixed into the water stream. This maintains temperature well and delivers a strong spray. The water flow pulses with non-aerating shower heads, giving more of a massaging showerhead effect.

You must evaluate the situation carefully when deciding to replace a bath tub with a shower. In certain circumstances replacing a bath tub with a shower can devalue a property. This depends on the market the property appeals to. If it is a 1 or 2 bedroom house, then the market may lie in couples, first-time buyers or investors. With these sorts of purchasers, the property would not be likely to devalue as showers are a suitable alternative to baths. Larger properties, however, would benefit from bigger bathroom features such as baths or hot tubs.

While replacing the bath with a shower cubicle may not affect the value for young couples and investors, it is essential to finish the bathroom to a high standard, as this will definitely affect the value of the property. So, whichever route you take with regards to your bathroom, plan the layout well and finish the job with quality and precision.

If space is the issue, then flexibility of choice can be limited depending on the size and shape of the bathroom. There are a wide variety of bathroom suites available these days, so a lack of options shouldnt be a problem. If a standard sized bath cannot fit, you may wish to look at the many suites designed for smaller bathrooms. It is possible to purchase a custom suite that offers a bath, which can also be used as shower cubicle. That way you get the best of both worlds. These suites are designed for small space so they arent physically as big as the standard suites, but do the job anyway. Suites like these maybe more costly, since they are custom, but they are ideal in such situations where a normal bath may not be viable.