RSS Feed

Related Articles

Related Categories

Brits urged to stop throwing money down the plughole

14th September 2012 Print

E.ON has released research providing insight into Brits' bathing habits, revealing people in the UK spend almost two billion shower-hours and over one billion hours relaxing in the bath each year. Carried out amongst 10,000 UK adults, the research showed people could save over £300 million a year on their water heating costs by shaving just two minutes off each shower.
 
With people taking nine minutes to shower on average, five times a week, the findings reveal who's leading in the battle for the bathroom, with women taking longer in both the shower and bath in comparison to men. Over twelve months, a woman spends over 39 hours in the shower and 25 hours lying in the bathtub.
 
Taking a speedy approach to showering, over a quarter of men spend less than five minutes showering compared to a fifth of women, although men are almost twice as likely as women to have more than eight showers a week.
 
The research also reveals that 18-24 year olds are the biggest water wasters, spending the most time in both the shower and bath. In comparison to those aged over 55, the younger generation spend almost twice as long in the shower.
 
Other insights from the research show:

The clean team - each year, men spend the equivalent amount of the time in the shower as watching over 25 football matches;

Kick back and relax - almost three million Brits have a bath every day of the week;

A long soak - one in 10 women enjoy lounging in the bath for over 30 minutes;

They're havin' a bath - people from Newcastle have the most baths a week (two) and Wrexham residents spend the longest time relaxing in the tub (16.3 minutes);

Shower Power - Edinburgh inhabitants have the most showers a week (six) while residents of Birmingham and Worcester have the longest showers (10 minutes).

Beverley Maguire, Energy Fitness Expert at E.ON, said: "While a lovely long hot shower or bath can be the ultimate treat, it's important to know the real cost of this and how it can impact on the environment. It's clear that we all love spending time in the bath and shower, but savvy families should consider adjusting their habits to save money and water.
 
"We'd urge everyone to knock-off at least two minutes from their shower, saving households almost £20 a year."
 
E.ON's top 10 tips for saving energy and cash in the bathroom:

Many modern showers heat up immediately so there is no need to run them before getting in - running them for less time will save you water and money;

Sponges and shower puffs lather up really quickly, leaving you smelling fresh but without the long scrubbing time;

Why not turn the shower off while you lather up to save on water wastage;

Always have the shower super-hot? Consider turning down the water temperature very slightly. Not only is this good for your energy bill but it's also better for your skin and hair;

Fit a water-saving device such as E.ON's ShowerSave to regulate the flow of water. ;

Showers can use far less heat and water than baths, so try to substitute some of your baths for showers where you can;

Think about how else you can enhance your bathroom to save energy and cash longer term. Radiator reflectors for example will help keep your bathroom cosy while at the same time saving you energy and money.
 
To encourage people to use less water while showering, E.ON is currently offering its ‘E.ON ShowerSave' for £2.50 each which is half price. For more information about the E.ON ShowerSave product visit: eonshop.co.uk.