Every litre of hot water you use is paid for twice: once on your water bill, and again on your energy bill to heat it. In November, with the heating on and the mornings dark, that second cost is easy to forget.

 

The good news is that the easiest water savings in most homes are also energy savings. They are mostly in the shower.

Why the Shower Matters Most

A shower runs hot water for minutes at a time, every day, for everyone in the house. That makes it one of the biggest users of both water and heat in a typical home. A small change in how long it runs, or how much water comes out per minute, adds up across a winter.

Check Your Shower in 30 Seconds

You can find out how much water your shower uses with a bucket and a timer:

 

1. Turn the shower on to your normal setting.
2. Hold a bucket under it for exactly six seconds.
3. Measure how much water is in the bucket and multiply by ten.

 

That is your flow rate in litres per minute. Older and power showers can run well above 12 litres a minute. Many modern water-saving heads run at around 8 or less while still feeling like a proper shower.

Five Ways to Cut Both Bills

• Shorten the shower. A shower timer or a four-minute song is the simplest change there is.
• Fit a water-saving shower head. An aerated head mixes air into the flow so it feels full while using less water. Check it is compatible with your shower first, as not every head suits an electric shower.
• Shower rather than bathe. A full bath uses far more hot water than a short shower.
• Turn the hot tap off in between. Rinsing dishes or brushing teeth under a running hot tap wastes heat as well as water.
• Lag the cylinder and pipes. If you have a hot water cylinder, a jacket and pipe insulation keep the heat you have paid for.

 

A note on cylinder temperature. If you have a stored hot water cylinder, do not turn it right down to save money. Stored hot water should be kept hot enough to control bacteria, so check your boiler or cylinder guidance before changing anything.

 

The Energy Saving Trust publishes free, independent advice on saving hot water and energy at home.

Keep the Winter Jobs Going

If you have not protected your pipes yet, our winter pipe checklist covers what to do before the first hard frost. 

 

Building a new home or converting a building into one? Get your Part G Water Efficiency Certificate in 60 seconds for £25.