Guide to Energy Efficiency in Bathrooms

Ensuring that you are using both energy and water efficiently in your bathroom could help you lower your utility bills. Making a few simple changes can have a significant impact on your water usage and energy consumption.

In this guide, we’ll provide you with some quick and easy tips to help you reduce the amount of energy you use in your bathroom.

How can I improve efficiency in my bathroom?

You’ll be surprised at how much money you can save by performing simple tasks to reduce your water and energy usage. Here are a few ways that can help you save.

1. Energy-saving lightbulbs

Replace standard lights with LED or CFL lightbulbs to save energy. These may be slightly more expensive to purchase, but they last significantly longer — LED lightbulbs are estimated to last around 17 years!

2. Invest in an efficient shower head

An efficient shower head can help to reduce your water usage whilst still providing you with a powerful shower. According to the Energy Saving Trust, one of these devices could help you save approximately £38 a year on your domestic gas bill. You can save a further £53 annually if you have a water meter. However, these shower heads should not be paired with electric showers as they can cause damage to the unit.

3. Replace baths with short showers

Swapping to showers instead of baths could help to reduce your water usage and could save you around £10 on your utility bills. You could make even more savings by reducing the amount of time you spend in the shower — getting out just one minute earlier could help you save up to £8 a year.

For further savings, you could invest in a shower flow regulator which will reduce the flow of water from your shower and aerate it to maintain pressure.

4. Choose low flush or dual flush toilets

Around a third of household water usage can go towards flushing toilets. To help reduce the amount of water that your toilet uses, you could add low-flush or dual flush toilet functions. Low-flush toilets use around 6 litres of water per flush, whilst other toilets can use 9 or more. Dual flush toilets allow you to be selective with the amount of water you use per flush.

5. Reduce temperatures

Approximately 28% of your heating bill can be spent on heating water in your property and a great deal of this heated water will be used in your bathroom. By reducing water temperatures in the shower, bath and through your taps, you could reduce your household energy usage.

6. Stop the drips

A dripping tap can waste a significant amount of water – up to 5,000 litres a year! You can save water and reduce your utility bills by ensuring that any dripping taps are fixed.

7. Close running taps

Running water whilst you brush your teeth, shave or wash your face is a bad (and expensive) habit that many of us are guilty of. You can save a significant amount of water by closing taps when water isn’t needed. You could also fit tap aerators which, like shower flow regulators, will use air to reduce the amount of water dispensed by your taps without affecting the pressure.

8. Get a water meter

Just as smart meters help you monitor your energy usage, water meters help you keep track of your water usage throughout your home. Use this device to find out where you could reduce water usage and cut costs — it could also enable more accurate bills. Contact your water provider to find out whether you are eligible for a water meter.

9. Switch energy suppliers

Finally, another simple method that can help you cut costs is switching energy suppliers. By comparing home energy, you could lower the amount that you are charged to heat your water.

Our quick and easy energy quote comparison tool could help you find the best deal for your home and needs.

Alternatively, take a look at our energy guides for more advice on energy saving.

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