Take a shorter shower to save money?

Discussion in Water started by Denis Hard • Apr 28, 2014.

  1. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2013
    Threads:
    991
    Messages:
    4,335
    Likes Received:
    790
    Some people just like the feel of the water on their skin and could stay in the shower for as long as ten minutes. Quite obviously, you'd use more water if you stay longer in the shower.

    The second group of people want to spend as little time in the shower as possible. Once their hair is shampoo free, they can get rid of soap suds from the rest of the body using a towel.

    Question is, would you take shorter showers to save money on water bills?
     
  2. Jessi

    Jessi<a href="http://www.quirkycookery.com">QuirkyCooke

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2012
    Threads:
    126
    Messages:
    2,256
    Likes Received:
    78
    Honestly, I don't think too too much on this one. My water bill is the cheapest of my utilities and I don't think I shower excessively.

    That being said, check this out:

    Log In



    I realized from this that it's actually the energy cost for heating the water that tacks on the bulk of the cost. I like my showers really hot, so even if I'm not necessarily in there long, I could still be tacking on a nice chunk of cost. Hmm.
     
  3. jneanz

    jneanzActive Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2014
    Threads:
    80
    Messages:
    667
    Likes Received:
    74
    Most of the areas I've lived in, the owner pays for water but the downside is that hot showers are limited. Anything beyond 5-7 minutes results in the water gradually getting cooler. I've learned the art of 30-second showers for when I wash my hair.
     
  4. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2012
    Threads:
    52
    Messages:
    3,093
    Likes Received:
    240
    Water is included in my rent, but I don't take super long showers because the hot water runs out pretty fast. The water heater for our apartment is a small unit under the kitchen sink.
     
  5. LindaKay

    LindaKayActive Member

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2013
    Threads:
    54
    Messages:
    464
    Likes Received:
    8
    I take in-between showers myself. I definitely think some people go overboard and spend far too much time in the shower, which can be costly. However, I wouldn't sacrifice washing my body properly just to save a few bucks.

    In high school, I had a teacher who used to say that her kids were only allowed to take one shower a day. I've always taken two myself -- maybe not every day, but I'll usually take a longer one in the morning and will then just jump in the shower to "wash off" in the evenings. I can't imagine not being able to get in the shower if I wanted to.
     
  6. whnuien

    whnuienActive Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2014
    Threads:
    37
    Messages:
    456
    Likes Received:
    4
    I try not to stay too long in the shower because since we are using a heater it can adds up a lot into my electricity bill. I am not worried about the quantity of water I use as water is very cheap in my place but electricity cost is getting more and more expensive and I can't let my bill to keep getting higher every month.
     
  7. Aprax

    ApraxMember

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2014
    Threads:
    0
    Messages:
    30
    Likes Received:
    0
    I never really think about how long I stay in the shower but now that I think about it I guess I take pretty long showers. Perhaps I should start cutting down my shower time to reduce my water bills..
     
  8. Mayvin

    MayvinActive Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2013
    Threads:
    142
    Messages:
    664
    Likes Received:
    10
    I've actually started to do this to see if it would save money. I usually can take 20 minute/half an hour showers and I am one of those people that likes to feel the water on me but I figure, let's see if I can save a few bucks by taking a shorter shower. We'll see.
     
  9. limitless1585

    limitless1585Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2014
    Threads:
    11
    Messages:
    70
    Likes Received:
    1
    I never shower for more than 15-20 minutes and I always use cold water to save some money on the electricity bill. You don't need to shower for more than 30 minutes a day, I don't think it makes a difference.
     
  10. JaydonTyler

    JaydonTylerActive Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2014
    Threads:
    20
    Messages:
    191
    Likes Received:
    1
    I dont even shower. I take the most feminine baths you could think of (besides lighting candles I dont do that). I use bath salts all the time Its good for you. I like to soak and relax in the tub. Somewhere along the way this became a girly things to do.

    Not to me it isnt
     
  11. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2012
    Threads:
    110
    Messages:
    5,621
    Likes Received:
    378
    Yes I don't see anything wrong in taking shorter showers just to save on water bills. I do tend to stay quite a bit in the bathroom because I sort of enjoy the peace and quiet in the room when I'm taking a bath, so the more I stay I guess the more water I consume. So I won't mind rushing my baths to save money.
     
  12. Colebra

    ColebraActive Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2014
    Threads:
    81
    Messages:
    334
    Likes Received:
    29
    What I actually do is just turn the water off between washing my hair and stuff....

    Not so much because I wanted to save money, but because I got used to it from taking a shower in the gym...
    There's these automatic showers there, that will cut off after some time.

    I don't really know how much money this saves me though...
     
  13. Athenagdlyt

    AthenagdlytActive Member

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2013
    Threads:
    47
    Messages:
    406
    Likes Received:
    13
    We live in the tropics and we don't have water heaters. When it's unusually cold, we just heat water in a pail and use that for our bath. It's a different story during summer though, I usually take 2 showers a day when it gets really hot. But overall, I don't think I would also skimp on cleaning my body just to save money.
     
  14. wulfman

    wulfmanActive Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2014
    Threads:
    15
    Messages:
    215
    Likes Received:
    5
    yep same here . I am currently in South Asia where half the year it is over 90 F and the whole year over 60 F (in my location central India). Now I take long showers. Around 20 minutes minimum. But the sun heats the water so its always hot. And if you are hot then you dont turn on the water heater and get a nice cool shower with lukewarm water. In the winter it is a bit of a problem as the water gets cold but I usually am able to still tolerate it. LOL to saving money on water. There is no charge for water where I live :p
     
  15. TuRon Davis

    TuRon DavisActive Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2014
    Threads:
    26
    Messages:
    207
    Likes Received:
    8
    When I take a shower, it's mainly to save time if the shower is rushed. The difference between 5 more minutes in the shower really doesn't effect me. I live in an apartment and the water is billed at a flat rate of 20.00 a month included with the rent.
     
  16. Jake

    JakeActive Member

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2014
    Threads:
    19
    Messages:
    119
    Likes Received:
    2
    A five minute shower is all I really need, it allows me to get on with other activities. I have friends who shower for a length of half hour or more and I just don't understand why it takes them so long - I do have my theories. When I ask they usually just say it's for pleasure or something, but we all know that efficiency is key! You can be squeaky clean in less than ten minutes. Save water, buy the scientists some time.
     
  17. PhilA

    PhilAMember

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2014
    Threads:
    10
    Messages:
    55
    Likes Received:
    1
    Water is the largest of the utility bills in my house so I am always looking to cut those costs without compromising lifestyle too much. The shower one is interesting, I never really notice how long I am in there, neither my wife(although it will not go down well asking her to hurry up), I am going to monitor this and see if I can cut it down for sure.
    I think the dishwasher is another massive water user, it takes around 2 hours to complete a whole cycle, that has to be using a lot of water I am sure.
     
  18. Dora M

    Dora MWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2014
    Threads:
    164
    Messages:
    1,811
    Likes Received:
    139
    My trick is to have a bath. I also encourage all my guests to do the same, as water and electricity get wasted quickly during a 10-20 minute shower. I grew up in a very hot place where drought is common, so I am quite aware how precious water really is. So much so, that I save most of my grey water for my plants or cleaning the house.
     
  19. Kek

    KekActive Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2014
    Threads:
    20
    Messages:
    100
    Likes Received:
    1
    Water is really cheap. You can't believe how incredibly cheap it actually is. In my country, a cubic metre (1000 litres) costs 0.5€ or about $0.70. You can figure out that you couldn't really save a lot of money taking shorter showers. That being said, the heater might use a lot of electricity, which would mean a higher electricity bill. I'm not sure about the cost of that, but it shouldn't be too much. There are definitely better ways to cut on your expenses. You could try turning off your computer whenever you don't use it. Same goes for the TV, radio etc. While you can't turn off your fridge, cleaning it regularly and mostly empty reduces your energy bill.
     
  20. Mayvin

    MayvinActive Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2013
    Threads:
    142
    Messages:
    664
    Likes Received:
    10
    I just started conserving water by taking a shorter shower and will look forward to seeing how much money is saved. I stand in the shower and lather up with the water off and not have it running to run. I feel cleaner that way anyway actually probably because of the hard water not being as much on my skin.