In the 2nd week, my shower data has fluctuated. On Tuesday, I showered for 17 minutes. On Wednesday, I showered for 26 minutes. Then yesterday, I showered for 21 minutes. I admit I like to bathe in warm water. When I get in the bathtub, I keep a mental timer of showering instructions (close to having a navy shower) where I wet my body for 30 seconds, turn off the facet, put on shampoo and soap, and then turn on the facet again. I noticed the reason why the process takes longer is that I get lost in my train of thought. When I shower, I am tired, and so I need to move faster.
I am making a huge environmental impact by saving water. The average water from taking a shower is 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm) (1). Using my Wednesday shower data, I used 65 gallons by multiplying 26 minutes x 2.5 gpm. Using the same procedure; on Thursday I used 52.5 gallons. Comparing Wednesday to Thursday, I saved 12.5 gallons. Using my spreadsheet, I showered for 22.6 minutes on average, using 56.5 gallons. My goal is to get my showering time down to 15 minutes. After hitting that goal, I want to cut down my showering time to 5 minutes. Showering for 15 minutes would take 37.5 gallons. Showering for 5 minutes consumes 12.5 gallons. If I showered for 15 minutes consistently for a week I would use 262 gallons. Using the current average minutes I shower, I use 395.5 gallons for a week. I would save 133.5 gallons in a week!
Now calculating 30 days, using the average minutes I shower times the average gallons consumed, my showering consumes 1,695 gallons in 30 days. By showering for 15 minutes every day for 30 days, I use 1,125 gallons. I save 570 gallons! For yearly, I would save 6935 gallons (by calculating the gallons used by the average minutes minus gallons used in 15 minutes.)
If everyone in Sierra did the same behavior and cut down 7 minutes in their showers, it would be (56.5 - 37.5) 19 gallons * 400 people = 7600 gallons saved.
If everyone in Seattle did the same behavior, which is 7
In the World
References:
How much water would you save if lots of people cut down their shower time? These calculations are setup great, can't wait to see what those answers to the size of the impact are. You should also include citations to where you found this information.
ReplyDeleteI also like how you mentioned how you got your calculations. But I think you should include the negative impacts long showers have on the environment.
DeleteHey, I liked how your post was set up and the amount of detail that went into the statistics. However, I think it would be awesome if you had a section or link to somewhere where we can see the effects of grossly increased water usage for readers to delve deeper into.
ReplyDeleteThanks. From this data I had calculated in the article, I found out I use 15 gallons more than the average family who uses 40 gallons everyday. According to EPA, this equals 1.2 trillions of gallons in the United States each year, enough to supply the water needs of New York and New Jersey. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/03/04/your-shower-is-wasting-huge-amounts-of-energy-and-water-heres-what-to-do-about-it/?utm_term=.9193b41cd7e6
DeleteIt's a cool fact, and answers the question, "how much water am I using in a shower?" and "am I using too much water?".