One of the popular points touted by plumbers and organizations looking to encourage people to decrease their water usage and wastage is to buy a water efficient shower head. Any informed plumber business in Melbourne knows all the right things to look for, but anyone outside of the industry may understandably have some trouble identifying the right product. There are many styles to choose from, and many claim to be water efficient, so how can you realistically weigh up the facts and what the salesperson is telling you?
A good energy efficient shower head is one that you barely notice, in that there is no obvious drop in pressure or showering sensation. This is a difficult balance to achieve, as quite often the smaller sized water droplets can almost sting the skin. In Australia, we abide by the Water Efficiency Labeling and Standards (WELS) for all modern products. Put simply, the more WELS stars a product has, the better it is for you. Products can be assigned a star number between zero and six, with six being the most water efficient products available. While few items will be given such praise, even a couple of stars is enough to ensure a decent saving. It can be difficult to appreciate what a star rating means in isolation, but primarily this feature is designed for comparison among products, which is essentially the shopping process. The average shower head which was manufactured prior to the introduction of this rating system uses approximately 15-25 liters of water per minute. By stark contrast, a modern head with only a three star rating uses 6 or 7 liters in the same time frame. This is a saving of at least half, and in some cases up to a quarter of the water and therefore water bills. If you are conscious about your water wastage but are reluctant to shell out for a new fitting, then consider the aerating extras that can be attached to your existing shower head. These will not deliver the results of a modern head, but they will nonetheless be a step in the right direction.
You may also like to consider the range of newer shower heads that come with temperature pre selection mechanisms. They look fancy, but in reality they are highly practical. If you think about it, much of the water that is wasted in showers is in the first few minutes, when the user is waiting for the temperature to stabalise. This feature essentially removes the need for running the shower for several minutes before stepping in. A few minutes may not seem like much, but using the figures above, that could be a saving of up to 75 liters in an old shower. After you have determined some of the most energy efficient choices, then you can begin to apply your aesthetic filters. Choose the finish that best fits with the rest of the fixtures in your bathroom. Also select a shape that blends in with the feel of the space, for example many modern designs incorporate a lot of straight edges and few curves, so a round head would look out of place. Whether the shower head is attached or detached is entirely up to personal preference.
While some of the more minimalist designs are entirely straightforward to design, some others might require some specialist knowledge. If you are simply replacing an old head in order to decrease your bills, then it should not be too much hassle to complete the job yourself. However, if anything internal needs attention, or you are installing a shower from scratch then of course it is recommended that you contact Twin Electrics and Plumbing, a professional Gas Plumber Melbourne at http://twinplumbersmelbourne.com.au/.
A good energy efficient shower head is one that you barely notice, in that there is no obvious drop in pressure or showering sensation. This is a difficult balance to achieve, as quite often the smaller sized water droplets can almost sting the skin. In Australia, we abide by the Water Efficiency Labeling and Standards (WELS) for all modern products. Put simply, the more WELS stars a product has, the better it is for you. Products can be assigned a star number between zero and six, with six being the most water efficient products available. While few items will be given such praise, even a couple of stars is enough to ensure a decent saving. It can be difficult to appreciate what a star rating means in isolation, but primarily this feature is designed for comparison among products, which is essentially the shopping process. The average shower head which was manufactured prior to the introduction of this rating system uses approximately 15-25 liters of water per minute. By stark contrast, a modern head with only a three star rating uses 6 or 7 liters in the same time frame. This is a saving of at least half, and in some cases up to a quarter of the water and therefore water bills. If you are conscious about your water wastage but are reluctant to shell out for a new fitting, then consider the aerating extras that can be attached to your existing shower head. These will not deliver the results of a modern head, but they will nonetheless be a step in the right direction.
You may also like to consider the range of newer shower heads that come with temperature pre selection mechanisms. They look fancy, but in reality they are highly practical. If you think about it, much of the water that is wasted in showers is in the first few minutes, when the user is waiting for the temperature to stabalise. This feature essentially removes the need for running the shower for several minutes before stepping in. A few minutes may not seem like much, but using the figures above, that could be a saving of up to 75 liters in an old shower. After you have determined some of the most energy efficient choices, then you can begin to apply your aesthetic filters. Choose the finish that best fits with the rest of the fixtures in your bathroom. Also select a shape that blends in with the feel of the space, for example many modern designs incorporate a lot of straight edges and few curves, so a round head would look out of place. Whether the shower head is attached or detached is entirely up to personal preference.
While some of the more minimalist designs are entirely straightforward to design, some others might require some specialist knowledge. If you are simply replacing an old head in order to decrease your bills, then it should not be too much hassle to complete the job yourself. However, if anything internal needs attention, or you are installing a shower from scratch then of course it is recommended that you contact Twin Electrics and Plumbing, a professional Gas Plumber Melbourne at http://twinplumbersmelbourne.com.au/.
No comments:
Post a Comment