Shower Heads, Shower Saver & Saving Water

Shower heads were once pretty standard but now there are an amazing number of choices. When you're building a house or remodeling a bathroom, it makes sense to research new shower heads but otherwise I wonder how often we really look at shower heads.

Don't get me wrong, I love taking long hot showers every morning and I'm glad I live in a country where this is possible. At the same time and because I write about all things related to home ownership, I know that fresh water is a precious commodity that is in short supply around the world, and in some US communities (read Water Facts and Scarcity Around the World).  

Are you familiar with the expression “have your cake and eat it too”.

There's a new product coming to market that will let me continue to enjoy my morning showers and maintain more awareness of how much water I'm using, as don't we all day dream in the shower? 

Shower Heads & Saving Water with Shower Saver!

Let's skip over the shower heads and look at this new product, the Shower Saver. When you take a shower, you don't know how much water you're using because there aren't any visual clues like you get filling up the bathtub. The Shower Saver is your visual reminder of how much water you've used. 

The Shower Saver isn't complicated (well there is some pretty sophisticated circuitry inside). It's really easy to understand because it shows you how many gallons of water you've used visually, rising from green to yellow, then red telling you it's time to stop your shower.

You don't have to turn the shower saver on as it senses when you enter the shower and turns on automatically. So how much water can you save?

• It depends on your shower heads flow  which can be as high as 7 gallons per minute to the new low flow shower heads which use only 2.5 gallons per minute.
• 10 minute shower at 5 gallons/minute = 50 gallons, times 365 days/yr = 18,250 gallons/yr.
• 10 minute shower at 2.5 gallons/minute = 25 gallons in savings or 9,125 fewer gallons/yr.

The Shower Saver Can Save You Money 

When you take shorter showers, you'll save money in two ways. First you'll reduce your costs for the fresh water you use whether it comes from a water utility or a well. Then you'll save more because you'll be heating less water, reducing the cost to run your hot water.

The math is pretty simple. The savings come from the volume of water you'll save. Regardless of your choice of shower heads, seeing the Shower Saver on the wall of your shower reminding you to take shorter showers will help you save water, money and you'll be helping the environment too.

Want to learn more about the Shower Saver?

• Visit GreenStartsHere.com and learn about the product and company mission.
• Want to help this product move into manufacturing? Contribute to Shower Saver's Kickstarter request and help inventor Kevin Myers bring this product to market.

Best Solution: Low Flow Shower Heads & Shower Saver! 

Here are some of the shower heads found at Overstock.com. Make sure to find the flow rate (green box) of the shower heads you like and only buy those that are rated at 2.5 or fewer gallons per minute.   

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