Landlords and property owners know the nuances of utility usage within their properties is important for both billing management and environmental stewardship.
Among the various utilities, shower water consumption holds a significant place when you look at its average water usage.
In this article, we'll explore how many gallons of water are used in an average shower and give some useful tips to share with your tenants to save water.
Factors That Influence Shower Water Usage
There are several factors to consider when checking the shower water usage on your rental property. Some of the most common ones are the duration of the average shower, water temperature, and the type of shower head.
Water conservation is not just about turning the switch on and off. It's also about understanding the dynamics of how water is used when showering and bathing. These choices can impact the overall water consumption.
Water Temperature
Water temperature can impact how much water is used in a shower because people tend to leave the shower running while they wait for it to heat up. Perhaps more importantly, heating the water compounds the costs that can accrue due to higher gas and electric bills if showers are running too long.
High Flow vs. Low-Flow Showerhead
Another crucial factor in determining how much water is used in a shower is the type of showerhead. Standard showerheads are considered “high flow” and can use more than two gallons of water per minute. In contrast, low-flow showerheads are designed to be more water-efficient, as they use fewer gallons of water per minute.
This difference in water level may seem small on a minute-by-minute basis, but when accumulated over days, months, and years, the amount of reduced water usage that can result from replacing standard showerheads with low-flow showerheads can be substantial.
Opting for a water-efficient showerhead not only reduces water consumption but also decreases energy costs as less water needs heating.
States and municipalities have various rules on the maximum flow rates that are permitted in multi-family apartment buildings, so be sure to check your local laws and regulations.
Shower Water Use Vs. Bath
Another factor to consider in the equation of how much water is used in a shower is the comparison between taking a bath and taking a shower.
Generally speaking, a bath tends to consume more water. According to the EPA, 70 gallons of water are needed to fill a bathtub, while a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons of water.
How Much Water is Used Based on Eight-Minute Shower Calculations
According to the data gathered by Portland.gov, as of July 1, 2023, showerhead options and their water usage are pretty eye-opening.
If your tenants have efficient showerheads, they’re looking at about 1.5 gallons of water per minute, which adds up to 12 gallons for an eight-minute shower. Assuming tenants shower about once a day on average, the annual cost per apartment is around $117 per year.
On the other hand, a standard showerhead uses about 2.5 gallons per minute, which translates to 20 gallons in 12 minutes and increases the yearly cost to nearly $200.
And some inefficient models are even worse, practically pouring money down the drain – 5 gallons a minute, 40 gallons a day, costing as much as a whopping $400 a year.
Now multiply this by 50 or 100 apartments in a typical building, and a property owner is looking at seriously high bills that could be reduced by replacing old inefficient showerheads.
Replacing old showerheads is not just about pinching pennies. Most showerheads have a shelf life of about a decade, but as they age, they can start to leak, or their nozzles might get wonky, bumping up water usage.
So, if a showerhead is old enough that it's becoming rusty, it's probably high time for an upgrade.
And let's not forget that hot showers aren't just a hit on a water bill, because they're one of the biggest energy hogs in an average home.
Tips For Property Owners to Save Water During Showers
Here are some useful tips for saving water for you and your tenants:
Switching to low-flow showerheads is an easy swap that can seriously cut down on water usage.
Any leaky showerheads need immediate fixing. Those little drips add up to a shocking amount of wasted water over time.
Keep an eye on that water bill. Tracking water usage is an essential way to see your progress in conservation.
How DrizzleX Can Help You Save
DrizzleX allows you to detect hidden water leaks anywhere, such as running toilets and leaky faucets, to stop millions of gallons of waste each year. It also alerts you to excessive water overuse by tenants.
Our weekly High-Pressure Showerhead Report helps you pinpoint which showerheads need urgent replacement and when tenants should replace your low-flow showerheads with high-flow ones. Typically, buildings that use DrizzleX reduce their water bills by 25-45% or more.
And you can expect a pretty quick return on investment (ROI). Buildings with DrizzleX save enough water to cover the entire cost of DrizzleX within about 9 months on average.
High Flow Showerheads Report
One of Drizzlex's solutions is a weekly High Pressure Showerheads Report. Tenants who are unhappy with the low flow showerheads will replace the low flow showerheads with illegal showerheads that have higher pressure. DrizzleX’s weekly report identifies these showerheads so that property owners can put back the low flow showerheads.
Overuse Reports
In addition to encouraging tenants to use water wisely, we notify property owners if any overuse is detected. We can see major impacts on tenant behavior when we inform them that their consumption is higher than average and they need to be more water-wise.
Billing
DrizzleX also allows you to bill your tenants. Tenants conserve water when they are the ones paying for it. You can easily create water bills based on accurate water consumption and bill them fairly.
FAQs About The Average Amount of Water Used in a Shower
How much indoor water is used for showers?
Showers are one of the largest water uses in the average home, as they account for around 20% of the overall indoor use.
How many gallons of water do I use for a minute shower?
Conventional showerheads use about 2.5 gallons per minute. Low-flow showerheads use about 1.5 gallons per minute.
