Water waste is an unseen issue in many homes throughout the Atlanta, GA area. However, in homes with older plumbing fixtures such as toilets, faucets, and showerheads, more water is used to complete everyday tasks as this equipment doesn't meet current conservation standards. Simple upgrades such as replacing showerhead units in bathrooms can allow your family to reduce water consumption and lower utility bills. Estes Services tells you how.
Showerhead Water Usage
For the average household, showering accounts for approximately 17 percent of total indoor water use. Daily showering results in about 40 gallons of water consumption each day. If you add up this water use for all homes across the country, around 1.2 trillion gallons of water are consumed by showering each year!
In the early 1990s, federal law set new standards for maximum water use in various
newly produced residential plumbing fixtures, with the goal of maximizing water
efficiency and increasing water conservation. For example, this law capped the flow rate for
standard showerheads at 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM).
Replacing Showerhead Equipment to Save Water
Before the existing federal standards were set in 1992, some showerhead models had flow rates up to 5.5 GPM. Suppose you live in an older home, and your bathroom plumbing fixtures have not been updated since the early 1990s. In that case, it's possible that your family is still using a showerhead that generates significant water waste with every shower you take.
● When replacing showerhead equipment manufactured prior to 1992 with WaterSense showerheads, you could save up to 9,450 gallons of water per year! If your older showerheads had a flow rate of 5.5 GPM, showering water consumption will be reduced by 3.5 gallons of water each minute, making it possible to conserve around 30 gallons of water with each shower.
More Ways to Save Water When Showering
As you can see, replacing showerhead equipment throughout your home can have a big impact on your family's water conservation efforts as well as your water bill savings. Replacing showerhead equipment isn't the only way to lower water consumption when using the shower - here are some more ways to reduce showering water waste even more!
● Fix showerhead leaks as soon as they are discovered. At a rate of just ten drips per minute, a leaking showerhead can waste over 500 gallons of water in a year.
● Skip baths and stick to showers for bathing. Filling up the bathtub uses as much as 70 gallons of water, while a 5-minute shower using a WaterSense-labeled showerhead only uses 10 gallons!
Showerhead Replacement in Atlanta, GA
Replacing showerhead equipment is a smart step to take if you want to reduce your monthly water bills and lower your family's water consumption. Estes Services installs new showerhead models in homes throughout the Atlanta, GA area - call us today to request an installation estimate.
