A 10-minute shower uses 25 gallons of water (provided you have a standard 2.5 gpm showerhead). In terms of bills, this translates to $0.375 per shower.
So, if we assume that the average person takes a 10-minute shower, you can expect to spend around 35p per shower on electricity. This is based on the calculation: Power (8.5kW) x cost per kWh (0.25) / 60 = 0.035, the cost per minute.
A standard showerhead flows at a rate of 2.5 gallons per minute . This means that a ten-minute shower only uses 25 gallons of water. A full bath can use up to 50 gallons of water .
In fact, heating the water to a pleasant showering temperature is at least twice as expensive as the cost of the water itself. Accordingly, water heating can quickly drive up utility bills and accounts for roughly 10-20 percent of an average household's energy bill.
Water companies measure water usage in hundred cubic feet, or CCF. One CCF is equivalent to 748 gallons of water. If you shower 10 minutes every day for a year, you are using 9,125 gallons of water (12.2 CCF). If you take a bath filled halfway every day for a year, you're using 14,600 gallons of water (19.51 CCF).
Showers cost more (usually)
And with personal bathing making up 33% of our overall water usage, the amount you use when taking baths and showers will have a big impact on your bill.
A single flush costs just a fraction of a cent, so unless you're someone that makes a habit out of flushing the toilet on repeat, then there won't be much of an impact on your water bill. However, if there's an ongoing leak then you'll want to get it fixed right away, as you could end up footing an expensive bill!
What costs the most on your electric bill? Heating and cooling are by far the greatest energy users in the home, making up around 40% of your electric bill. Other big users are washers, dryers, ovens, and stoves. Electronic devices like laptops and TVs are usually pretty cheap to run, but of course, it can all add up.
You also may be able to cut down on utility costs by showering at night. Some energy providers can charge more during the times that most homes will be using appliances, known as peak times.
On average, approximately 70 percent of that water is used indoors, with the bathroom being the largest consumer (a toilet alone can use 27 percent!).
The total running time of this kind of shower can last less than two minutes – using an initial thirty seconds or so to get wet, followed by shutting off the water, using soap and shampoo and lathering, then rinsing for a minute or less.
Let's start with the truth: Showers are cleaner than baths. A shower is the best option if thoroughly cleaning your entire body is your top concern. Showers whisk dirty water out of sight while evenly distributing clean water over your body.
If you have a low-flow showerhead installed, you can expect to use about two gallons of water per minute, equalling 20 gallons throughout a 10-minute shower. With a standard showerhead, around half a gallon more water will emerge each minute, so a 10-minute shower would use somewhere close to 25 gallons.
Following our calculations based on a 10-minute shower, you can expect to spend 73p per electric shower and 40p per gas shower. Overall, it's cheaper to run a gas shower. However, fear not, as there are plenty of ways to cut costs on your energy bills irrespective of what kind of shower you use.
The average shower lasts about eight minutes. If you're spending more than 15 minutes in the shower, you may need to make an adjustment. Dermatologists recommend keeping your showers between 5 and 10 minutes. This time period gives you enough time to properly clean your body without overdoing it.
Did you know that when your appliances or electronic devices are plugged in, they're draining energy – even if they're not in use? Phantom power, also called standby power, refers to the energy that's wasted around your home when devices are plugged in and using power, but you're not actively using them.
Try not to leave lights on in areas that no one is using. Lightbulbs can suck a lot of electricity when left on for long periods of time. It's likely that your electricity bill is rising for every extra minute you leave that light on.
The single, 10-minute long shower will cost you $0.46 or $168.93 if you repeat it daily for a full year. Don't forget that these are sample calculations for one person and 10 minutes for showering only 1 time a day.
Your heating, ventilation and air conditioning system likely uses the most electricity at home. The EIA tells us that space heating and cooling accounts for slightly over 30% of residential energy usage. These appliances run frequently, and many factors can affect their efficiency, like drafts and poor insulation.
The energy needed to heat the water to run an 80-litre bath at 42C, on the other hand, will cost you 81p, more than three times the cost of a shower. An eight-minute shower using an electric shower will also use around 40 litres of water, half that required to fill a bath.
Toilets use up to 27% of the household water supply while clothes washers use 20.9% and showers account for 17.3%. Faucets account for about 15.3% and leaks account for 13.8% of a family's water use.
Toilets are flushed multiple times a day in households everywhere but most homeowners are not aware of how much each flush costs. After all, every flush involves the use of water and as homeowners know, it costs to use water. So, what is the cost of a toilet flush? –The average cost in the USA is 1.3 cents per flush.
The most common cause for a high water bill is running water from your toilet. A continuously running toilet can waste massive amounts of water each day. That can double typical water use for some families, so toilet leaks should be fixed as soon as possible.