‘Quick is best’: Your long showers could be costing you thousands – study reveals

Winter is here. And while taking long showers might seem like a must, the steamy indulgence could cost you a lot more than you think.

Showering is the cornerstone of personal hygiene and can boost your mental health.  

However, a recent study by LookSee reveals that taking one shower a day could add up to R808 per month to your utility bill.

Based on the City of Johannesburg’s current R2.80 per kilowatt-hour electricity tariff and R34.28 per kilolitre water tariff, the research found households spend as much as R8 160 on showers per person annually.

ALSO READ: Saving money: Why households need to tackle their geyser heating costs

Speaking to The Citizen, LookSee executive head Marc du Plessis cautioned against taking long showers, even on cold days.

“Making it as quick as possible is certainly your best option,” he says.

Elements influencing shower costs

LookSee’s research took into account five key elements that contribute to the cost of a shower:

1. Water flow rate of showerhead: Different showerheads have varying flow rates: Low-flow showerhead is 8 litres per minute – Typical handheld or fixed showerhead: 12 litres per minute -High-flow showerhead: 16 litres per minute.
2. Electricity used for geyser heating: The amount of electricity required to heat water significantly impacts costs.
3. Water usage: The volume of water used during a shower directly affects water bills.
4. Shower duration: The time spent in the shower, ranging from 5 to 15 minutes, influences the amount of hot water used.
5. Season: Seasonal changes affect water temperature needs, with winter requiring hotter water and more electricity to heat the colder incoming water.

Take a look at the graphs below to see how much your shower may cost you.

Winter shower costs:

Summer shower costs:

It’s time to make some changes

Ditching your hygiene habit is certainly not advised, but changing your shower head might be a little easier. 

Investing in a new showerhead and changing your routine could reduce costs by 83%, bringing them down to R119 per month in summer and R135 per month in winter. This could amount to more than R7 000 a year in savings.

“Changing your shower head and reducing your shower time is the easiest and most efficient way to cut your utility bill,” says Du Plessis.

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For a person using a high-flow showerhead and taking a 15-minute shower daily, the winter cost could be as high as R808 per month, comprising R214.61 in water costs and R593.47 in electricity costs.

In summer, this cost decreases to about R715 per month, with R214.61 for water and R500.37 for electricity.

Switching to a low-flow showerhead and limiting showers to five minutes can drastically reduce monthly costs to R135 in winter and R119 in summer.

This change results in savings of R673 per month in winter and R596 in summer.

Du Plessis explains that while most recently built homes come equipped with medium-flow shower heads, houses built before 2000 probably don’t.

“If your home was built in the 90s, and you haven’t changed anything, chances are you have a high-flow shower head.”

He encourages homeowners to trade their old shower heads for newer, water-saving alternatives.

“A lot of product development has gone into shower heads, and we are benefitting from it now.”

Converting to solar

Another significant way to save on your electricity bill is switching to solar.

Converting your geyser to be powered by solar panels can reduce your monthly shower costs by as much as 95%, resulting in a cost of R35 per month year-round.

“If you convert to solar power and cut your showers down to five minutes on a low-flow fixture, and you only shower once a day – it’ll cost you R35 per month because you’ll only be paying for the water,” Du Plessis explains.

This could lead to an annual saving of more than R8 160 per person in the household.

“If you’re taking one shower a day, you shouldn’t need backup power because the sun provides enough electricity to heat your geyser.”

ALSO READ: Mind your electricity bill: Don’t break the bank to stay warm this winter

If you’re looking to convert your geyser to solar but are low on cash, LookSee’s Solar Loan could come in handy.

Eligible households could access financing to fund the installation from a low interest rate of prime plus 1% up to a maximum at prime plus 2.5%, repaid over one to five years.

“You can use the funds saved from converting to solar towards repaying your loan – it all pays for itself,” Du Plessis adds.

Keeping track

To keep track of your household’s electricity consumption Du Plessis suggests submitting monthly meter readings to your utility provider.

“If you send this reading monthly, they’ll bill you on your actual, not estimated, usage.”

“You’ll soon be able to see the monthly savings on your electricity bill.”