Energy efficient bathrooms: matching functionality with frugality
By making a few simple changes in your bathroom, you could start saving water, and money, straight away.
Reducing the amount of water that’s required in your bathroom is the best way to make sure you’re being energy efficient. You’ll not only be saving on the amount of water that is being used, but you’ll also be saving on the energy that’s needed to move this water around.
However, before doing this, you should calculate exactly how much water you’re currently using, checking the flow rates on your taps and shower heads, and checking your bills.
You can quickly reduce your energy and water usage by making a few quick changes in your bathroom. Some will require an upfront cost (like aluminium radiators from companies such as http://apolloradiators.co.uk/View/3/52/129/category/modena/modena-horizontal-, but as with all energy efficient changes, these will pay for themselves over time.
A more efficient shower head
The flow rates on many showers can be up to 2.5 gallons per minute, but many modern shower heads are being designed to be much more efficient. Unlike earlier models that sacrificed water flow, newer designs will maintain their pressure while still providing an indulgent showering experience.
Energy efficient taps
As above, you can easily reduce the flow on your tap by half by using aerators. They’re incredibly cheap, which means you’ll notice the savings more quickly and they’re very easy to install too. They simply fit onto your current tap fitting, and will aerate the water, which will reduce the flow but will keep the pressure high, so you won’t even notice the difference!
A top tip is to check your taps for any leaks too, as Waterwise estimates that 5,500 litres of water can be wasted by a dripping tap, costing £18 a year.
Your bathroom lighting
Using a light meter, you can check how much light you’re using in your bathroom and whether this is too much. You may find you have one main light then several others around your vanity unit, which could be significantly adding to your energy bills. Try taking out a few unnecessary bulbs to see if you still have enough lighting in the bathroom. Swap all bulbs for LEDs as this will help to dramatically reduce your energy consumption. Of course, also try to get in the habit of turning lights off!