Anyone who thinks a low-pressure shower is better for the environment may be surprised because it uses less water.
New research shows that high-pressure showers that use a lot of water may actually reduce overall water use.
The findings, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, come as British officials struggle to find ways to fill the growing gap between water supply and demand.
Researchers secretly monitored 290 different showers on the University of Surrey campus, collecting data on a total of 86,421 individual showers.
They found that water consumption was reduced by up to 60% when the water pressure was higher, suggesting that people don’t jump out of the shower after a certain amount of time, but rather “stop showering when they’re having a specific experience.”
They also installed visible timers in some showers to see if that would affect how long people took to soak.
They said the duration of showers varied widely, with the average shower lasting 6.7 minutes but half of the showers lasting between 3.3 and 8.8 minutes.
Ian Walker, professor of environmental psychology at Swansea University, wrote on
His research team believes that monitored Surrey students took shorter showers than the general public.
Professor Walker added: “The last time we measured shower times across the UK public, we found the average shower duration was 10.8 minutes.”
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Europe’s water problem
In the study, the team found that Surrey students who enjoyed high-pressure showers with visible timers consumed an average of around 17 liters of water.
This is about 3.5 times less than the 61 liters of water used in a low pressure shower without a timer.
“Given the high water consumption, energy consumption and associated carbon emissions of showers, improving water efficiency in showers is critical,” the team wrote.
The gap between water supply and demand is widening as population growth and a warming climate change rainfall patterns and temperatures in the UK, the Environment Agency said.
The report says England could face a supply shortage of 4 billion liters a day by 2050.
The Environment Bill 2021 requires significant cuts in household water consumption, from the current 144 liters per person per day to 110 liters.
The team acknowledged that their study could not actually determine why increasing water pressure reduces consumption and called for further research.
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