To make the best decisions regarding water saving devices, it helps to first understand the three phases of typical showering events (Structural Waste, Behavioral Waste, Bathing Use). Once you know them, you can target areas and products for saving water and energy while improving showering comfort and convenience.
The first phase of showering consists of Structural Waste. It's the cold water that must exit the plumbing lines before hot water arrives. It begins when you turn on the shower and ends once the shower's warm enough to get in. Although, every building has a unique plumbing architecture and the volume of Structural Waste will vary from home to home, it's common to purge 1.5 - 2. 5 gallons of Structural Waste at the start of every shower. The process usually takes about a minute.
The great thing about reducing Structural Waste is that it helps your hot water arrive faster. With the right products, hot water waits can be reduced from minutes to just a few seconds. That improves comfort, convenience and conservation - it's a win any way you slice it.
Water Savings Opportunity: 1.5 - 2.5 gallons per shower
Benefits: Save Water, Save Energy, Reduce Hot Water Wait Times
Products: Evolve Auto-Diverting Tub Spout
Now that you know about Structural Waste, let's discuss its impact on people's behavior. All that waiting around for hot water to arrive causes many to leave and do something else while the shower is running. We call it multitasking. Activities include brushing your teeth, making your bed, shaving, using the toilet ... the list goes on and on. When you're done with your task, you return to the shower and it's nice and warm. But how much hot water innocently ran down the drain while you were away? Truth, it's a lot more than most people think. And that unintentional hot water use is called Behavioral Waste.
Behavioral Waste occurs from the point at which hot water reaches the shower and lasts until you actually return and get in. For most people it lasts about a minute and consumes 1.5 to 2.5 gallons of hot water.
The great thing about eliminating Behavioral Waste is that it allows you to not only save meaningful amounts of water and energy, but it does so without taking water away from you while you're actually showering (i.e.using a low flow shower head).
Water Savings Opportunity: 1.5 - 2.5 gallons per shower
Benefits: Save Water, Save Energy, Do So Without Reducing Flow While Showering
Products: All evolve products containing ShowerStart Technology
Bathing Use is simply the water that's actually used for showering. It starts from the time you step in the shower and ends when you've turned off the water. Showers last, on average, 8 minutes. About a minute (1.5 - 2.5 gallons) is consumed by Structural Waste. Another minute (1.5 -2.5 gallons) is consumed by Behavioral Waste. Only 6 minutes (9 - 15 gallons) are actually used for showering.
There's only a few ways to reduce Bathing Use. Unfortunately nearly every one involves sacrificing comfort, convenience or cleanliness. Think about it, you can either reduce your shower head's flow rate, take shorter showers or skip a shower or two every week (and lose a friend or two in the process).
The good news is that all of that's not necessarily true if you'e using an evolve shower head or hand shower. Designed to delight evolve shower heads and hand showers deliver a high pressure, great feeling spray while gently reducing the amount of hot water consumed by bathing use.
Water Savings Opportunity: 3 - 7.5 gallons per shower
Benefits: Save Water, Save Energy, High-Pressure Great-Feeling Shower
Products: All evolve shower heads and hand showers.
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Contact us today to learn more about how Evolve Technologies' products can bring comfort and convenience to your shower while lowering your residence's water and energy bills.
