A ten-minute shower with an old showerhead can easily consume over 120 liters of warm water. This cost is reflected in your water and electricity bills every month. However, it's easy to significantly reduce water consumption – without having to compromise on the shower experience.
With these seven practical tips, you can reduce the dent your shower makes in your wallet and the environment.
1. Measure, don't guess – find out your current consumption
Before you can save, you need to know your current consumption. Estimation is inaccurate, but anyone can measure it. All you need is a bucket of known volume (e.g., 10 liters) and a stopwatch on your phone.
Do this:
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Turn on the shower at normal pressure.
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Place the bucket under the shower and start the stopwatch simultaneously.
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Stop the stopwatch as soon as the bucket is full.
Calculate the flow rate using the formula: 60 / time to fill (in seconds) x bucket volume (in liters) = flow rate (liters/minute).
If the result is over 12 liters per minute, your shower is a water guzzler. A result under 9 liters means you're already on the right track. The measurement result gives you an accurate baseline against which you can compare the effect of your saving measures.
2. Upgrade your showerhead to a modern water-saving model
If you only make one change, make this one. Old showerheads from the early 2000s or earlier can let through as much as 15–20 liters of water per minute. A modern water-saving showerhead manages with about 8–9 liters.
Saving doesn't mean weak pressure. New technology mixes air into the water spray and accelerates the water's speed. The shower often feels even more powerful, even though less than half the water is consumed. The investment in a new hand shower or overhead shower typically pays for itself in 1–3 years through smaller bills, depending on the household size.
3. Optimize your shower routine: turn off the water while soaping
This tip is free, but its impact is enormous. A large part of shower time is spent soaping hair and body. By turning off the water during this time, you can easily shorten the water flow time by 2–4 minutes per shower.
In a family of four, this means a saving of up to 10–15 minutes of water running every day. Annually, the saving is tens of thousands of liters and hundreds of euros – just by turning off the tap. Initially, it requires remembering, but soon it becomes a routine.
4. Fix a leaking tap immediately
A constantly dripping shower tap is a continuous drain on your finances. One drip per second means about 10,000 liters of water per year. That's equivalent to about 67 bathtubs of water going straight down the drain.
The cause of the leak is usually a worn-out washer or a faulty tap cartridge. Replacing them is a quick and inexpensive procedure that should not be postponed. It's one of the easiest ways to cut unnecessary water consumption in the bathroom.
5. Lower the water temperature, even slightly
After heating the premises, water heating is the biggest energy consumer in the home. Most of the cost of a shower does not come from the water itself, but from the energy used to heat it. Even a couple of degrees drop in water temperature will show up in your electricity or district heating bill.
Lower the temperature gradually, and you probably won't even notice a difference in comfort. While this doesn't directly reduce water liters, it effectively lowers the total cost and environmental footprint of your shower.
6. Install a thermostatic tap
How long do you wait for the shower to reach a comfortable temperature? With an old two-lever tap, searching for the right mixing ratio wastes tens of liters of clean water directly down the drain.
A thermostatic tap puts an end to this. It mixes hot and cold water to your desired temperature almost instantly. Water wastage at the beginning is minimized, and the tap also improves safety by preventing sudden increases in water temperature, even if someone is running water in the kitchen at the same time.
7. Improve water quality – enjoy your shower more in less time
Long showers are sometimes caused by skin feeling dry and water irritating. Although Finnish tap water is of high quality, pipes can release metals, sediment, and limescale into it, which can dry out skin and hair.
A high-performance filter installed in the shower captures solid particles larger than 5 microns, such as rust and sediment, and at the same time reduces the amount of metals and limescale. Cleaner water is softer on the skin, making even a short shower feel refreshing and pleasant.
The experience can be completed with skin-caring aroma gel cartridges. They contain four natural, moisturizing ingredients: Aloe vera, snail serum, milk protein, and vegetable glycerin. When the shower feels luxurious and caring, the need to stretch it long and hot naturally decreases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much water does an average shower consume?
An average shower consumes about 12 liters of water per minute, meaning a ten-minute shower uses 120 liters. With old and inefficient showerheads, consumption can rise to as much as 180 liters. With a modern water-saving shower, a ten-minute shower consumes about 80–90 liters.
Is a water-saving showerhead ineffective?
No, although it is often thought to be. Modern water-saving showerheads mix air into the water and expel it through small, precisely designed openings. This creates a powerful pressure sensation, even though up to half less water is used than in older models.
How often should a shower filter be changed?
The replacement interval depends on the filter model and the water quality in your area. As a rule of thumb, the sediment filter cartridge should be changed every 2–4 months. At the latest, when the water pressure weakens or the filter is clearly discolored, it's time for a change.
Does water temperature affect water consumption?
Not directly. The same amount of liters comes out of the tap regardless of the water temperature. However, temperature greatly affects energy costs. Since heating water is the most expensive part of a shower, a cooler shower directly reduces your electricity or district heating bill.
