Up to a third of people have stopped using the bath to reduce their water and energy bills, and even shower users are trying to save money, research claims.
Of bathroom owners who still use their bathtub, almost half reported that they have reduced the amount of use, according to a study by comparison company Uswitch.
Two in five said they had reduced the amount of water they filled their bathtub with, and an iron-willed 12 per cent said they now took cold baths instead of hot ones.
The average household energy bill is currently £1,928 a year, falling to £1,690 since 1 April.
Expensive habit: almost half of Edinburgh residents no longer use the toilet due to cost
As energy prices continue to hit people’s pockets, two in five have decided to reduce the duration of their showers.
Consumers currently spend an average of just eight minutes in the shower: seven minutes for men and nine for women.
Around a quarter of shower users have also decided to reduce their use by investing in energy-efficient shower nozzles and turning off the hot water while washing their hair.
A sizable number, 21 percent, even said they try to avoid using hot water at home by showering at the gym or at work.
People in Edinburgh are the most likely to avoid the bath – 49 per cent have stopped using the bath, with Sheffield second at 37 per cent.
But in Belfast, only 15 per cent said they were willing to sacrifice their bathrooms to save on energy costs.
But residents of the Northern Irish city make up for it with short showers, lasting 6.8 minutes, second only to residents of Brighton, who take an average of 6.7 minutes.
Uswitch energy expert Ben Gallizzi said: ‘The energy crisis has changed the way we use energy and a third of bathroom owners have stopped soaking in the bath.
«Baths require much more hot water than showers, so they are a more expensive way to wash. Some consumers have continued to bathe during the energy crisis, but have reduced the amount of water they use to reduce costs.’
How much do you really save by eliminating bathrooms?
Big Savings: Ben Gallizzi Says Energy Efficient Shower Heads Could Save You Money
At current energy costs, an eight-minute shower, using a 7.5kW electric shower, will cost you 28p on average.
In April, with the introduction of the new maximum price, this will fall to 24p.
The energy needed to heat the water needed to run an 80-litre bathtub at 42°C, on the other hand, will cost you 81p – more than three times the cost of a shower.
An eight-minute shower with an electric shower will also use about 40 liters of water, half of what is needed to fill a bathtub.
Over the course of a week, seven showers of eight minutes each will cost a total of £1.96. If you changed two baths into your weekly routine and showered on the remaining five days, your costs would increase by more than a third to £3.02.
In a year, taking two baths a week will cost you £157.04, compared to just £101.92 if you stick to showers.
With a gas boiler, showering costs would be reduced to 7p for eight minutes, and just 21p for drawing a bath, bringing the annual total to just £25.48 per year for a week’s worth of showers, and £ 40.04 if you treat yourself to two baths a week. week.
If you have a gas-heated bathroom and an electric shower, baths would be the cheapest option, being 7p cheaper than the current cost of an eight-minute shower.
These figures do not include the cost of water use, for those that are on a meter.
Adding up: Reducing the duration of your shower by two minutes could save you up to £25 over the course of a year.
How can you save?
The potential savings that could be achieved by changing your laundry habits may not be astronomical, but a small change can go a long way.
“People who want to save money on showering might consider purchasing an energy-efficient shower head,” Gallizzi told This is Money.
“These reduce the amount of hot water you use, but will still make it feel like a strong shower.”
Gallizzi also recommends being mindful of how much hot water you use, as cold showers can be a great energy-saving measure.
“Using less hot water means saving money on energy, but you’ll also save money on your water bills if you use a meter,” he said.
‘Reducing the time spent showering is another way to save energy and water. Some people also save energy by turning off the water when shampooing their hair. Likewise, filling the bathtub with less water will reduce energy and water consumption.’
Even reducing your shower time by a couple of minutes can have a big impact – a six-minute shower will save you around £25 a year compared to the cost of an eight-minute shower.
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