By Blythe Copeland | Mon Aug 31, 2009 19:06
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Buy Green: Shower Head
Soap up under these five efficient showerheads--at a fraction of the cost and water consumption.
Investing in a low-flow shower head is one of the easiest ways to cut your water usage (and your bill)?and with the average household using as much as 260 gallons of water each day, any way to save can make a difference. Federal standards require shower heads to use no more than 2.5 gallons of water each minute, but these shower heads do even better than that, using, in some cases, as little as .4 gallons per minute. We've listed the features and pros that will make them at home in your bath?and used the Sierra Club's national average of $.06 per gallon to see how much a 10-minute shower will dent your wallet.
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Nurture From Moen
Why We Like It: The Nurture showerhead from Moen comes in a sleek chrome finish, and detachable hand shower version that makes it easy to direct the flow. Three different flow functions let you get the perfect pressure.
Eco-Factor: At 1.75 gallons per minute, the Nurture is more efficient than the federal standard so you save water no matter which flow setting you use.
10-minute Shower: $1.05
Where: Lowe's
How Much: $40
Photo courtesy of Moen
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EcoFlow From Waterpik
Why We Like It: Waterpik's EcoFlow offers five spray options?including full body coverage, concentrated fan spray, misting, massage, and a mist/massage combo?so everyone in your household can use a different setting.
Eco-Factor:The company says that EcoFlow can cut water use by as much as one full gallon every minute (which they claim will cover the cost of the showerhead in less than a year), and it comes with a pause button that allows you to turn off the water completely while soaping up, washing your hair, or shaving.
10-minute Shower: $0.90
Where: Waterpik
How Much: $40
Photo courtesy of Water Pik
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B100 Max From Bricor
Why We Like It: The B100 Max from Bricor uses the company's vacuum flow technology to provide enough pressure for even the pickiest bathers; it's also the showerhead used by the military forces in Iraq because of its combination of low-flow usage and power.
Eco-Factor: If they'll use it in the desert then you know it's low-flow: Spitting out less than one gallon of water per minute, the Bricor is 50 percent more efficient than standard shower heads.
10-minute Shower: $0.60
Where: Water and Energy Solutions
How Much: $75
Photo courtesy of Bricor
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WaterTile From Kohler
Why We Like It: The modern design of the WaterTile from Kohler combines a space-saving wall mount with two flow options?54 individual nozzles for a "soothing spray" or 22 for a "stimulating spray"?for a more traditional end result.
Eco-Factor: Though it's not as low-flow as some of the others on this list, the WaterTile still clocks in below the standard at 2.2 gallons per minute; the design also requires fewer mounting materials than extended versions.
10-minute Shower: $1.32
Where: Kohler
How Much: $270
Photo courtesy of Kohler Co.
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Shower Nozzle From AquaHelix
Why We Like It: The AquaHelix shower nozzle rotates just one stream of water to give users either a strong, pounding spray or a more relaxing massage feel, and works on wells as well as on public water systems.
Eco-Factor: Billed as "the world's lowest flow shower nozzle," the Aqua Helix puts out as few as .4 gallons of water per minute at its lowest setting?so, as the site says, you could shower for an hour and use less water than a traditional showerhead uses in 10 minutes.
10-minute Shower: $0.24
Where: AquaHelix
How Much: $30
Photo courtesy of AquaHelix
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