Buy a low-flow showerhead

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Aside from taking precautions that conserve water (shutting off the shower while you're soaping up, for instance, saves 15 to 20 gallons of water), new appliances can help too. Low-flow showerheads conserve water by restricting the flow of water through small apertures and create a high-velocity spray by forcing compressed air into the water stream.

Find it! Low-flow showerheads

Bricor B100Max 1.0 GPM Showerhead

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With Bricor's Vacuum Flow Technology, this showerhead delivers a one-gallon-per-minute flow stream.

ETL Oxygenics SkinCare Showerhead 630-XLF 1.5

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This showerhead, with a maximum flow rate of 1.5 gallons per minute, is exceptionally water-efficient, and is also "self-pressurizing."

Gaiam "Lowest Flow" Showerhead

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This showerhead averages 1.2 to 1.4 gallons per minute, cutting water use by 50 to 70 percent.

How to install a low-flow showerhead

This video on how to install a low-flow showerhead shows you how easy it is to start conserving water in your home.

See these links for additional information on how to install a low-flow showerhead.

Before you buy

Aerating showerheads mix air into the water stream, maintaining steady pressure so the spray is even and full, while non-aerating showerheads add a pulse to the water stream in order to keep the temperature even.[1] Prices for low-flow showerheads generally range between $8 and $50, but designer models can cost upwards of $200, and hand-held models are typically more expensive than fixed models. Look for a low-flow showerhead model that includes a shut-off valve, which will allow you to turn off the water while soaping up and turn it back on without readjusting the water temperature.

Low-flow showerheads help you go green because...

They reduce water usage in the home.
They reduce energy consumption by conserving hot water, thereby lowering carbon dioxide emissions

Daily water usage in the typical single family home is 69.3 gallons, with showers accounting for 16.8 percent of total indoor water use. After washing machines and dishwashers, showers are the third-largest water guzzler in the home.[2] Water conservation and energy conservation can be achieved by taking some precautions and perhaps installing some new equipment. The average household can save almost 8,000 gallons of water per year by installing low-flow showerheads or faucet aerators, which also reduce the demand for hot water, saving up to 450 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.[3] Some 85 billion gallons of water per year could be saved if everyone in the United States used just one less gallon of water per shower each day.[4]

Using a low-flow showerhead can slash home water consumption and water heating costs by as much as 50 percent.[5] Although federal regulations now require that showerhead flow rates do not exceed more than 2.5 gallons per minute at a water pressure of 80 pounds per square inch, most showerhead fixtures installed before 1992 have flow rates of up to 5.5 gallons of water per minute. While all showerheads now on the market must have flow rates of 2.5 gallons per minute or less, many showerheads boast flow rates as low as one gallon per minute. You can determine whether your showerhead is low-flow or not by timing how many seconds it takes to fill a bucket marked in gallon increments. If the bucket is filled to the one-gallon mark in less than 20 seconds, it may need to be replaced.[6]

Controversies

Taking a shower does not necessarily use less water than a bath; it depends on how long you stay in the shower and how much water comes out of your showerhead. The average bath requires between 30 and 50 gallons of water. Most regular showerhead fixtures installed before 1992 have flow rates of up to 5.5 gallons of water per minute,[6] which means that a shower greater than five minutes in length typically uses more water than a bath.[7]

Turning off the water while you soap up in the shower can save an additional 15 to 20 gallons per shower.[8]

To conserve water during baths, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests plugging the drain and filling up the tub only a third of the way full, using the hot water flow to warm up the initial cold water.[9]

Precautions

Low-flow showerheads, which deliver less water than regular showerheads, are more likely to scald you with a burst of hot water if the toilet is flushed, which causes a sudden dip in cold water pressure in the system. However, bathrooms with 3/4-inch piping, pressure-balancing valves, thermostatic mixing valves, or anti-scald valves should provide adequate measures against scalding.[10]

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