Looking after our environment is a hot topic in 2019. As climate change and carbon emissions hit the headlines every day, people are looking at ways in which they can reduce energy and water usage in their day-to-day lives.
Believe it or not, there are many things you can do to minimise your carbon footprint as you go about your daily routine. We asked Ideal Standard, the UK’s leading bathroom brand, for their hints and tips to help save the planet, one bath at a time.
To bathe or to shower?
Generally speaking, showers use less water than baths. A typical 7 minute shower uses about 63 litres of water, whereas an average bath uses 195 litres. Simple, right? Well, not if you’re a family of 4 or more.
3 showers use about the same amount of water as one bath, so if you’re a family of 4 or more, could the kids use the bath water after mum or dad?
Regulate that flow
Using less water doesn’t have to result in an inferior bathroom experience. Clever product innovation means that flow regulators increase water efficiency without reducing effectiveness or enjoyment.
All Ideal Standard basin mixers, such as those from the popular Tesi and Concept Air collections, are fitted with a 5 litre per minute water regulator, which can reduce water usage by over 40% when compared to regular taps.
The Concept Air basin mixer tap is the first step towards an eco-friendly bathroom
Shower heads, like the Idealrain S3 shower kit which comes with many of the Ideal Standard shower sets available at VictoriaPlum.com, have an 8 litre per minute regulator but intelligent design means the spray feels every bit as generous.
Only flush what you need
Believe it or not, the toilet is one of the largest consumers of water in the household and (how shall I this?) not all visits to the loo require a full flush. That’s why Ideal Standard developed their dual flush cisterns, which is a feature of the stylish Concept Air close coupled toilet.
These cisterns feature a simple 2 button mechanism; the small button delivering a 4 litre flush and the large one 6 litres. Incredibly, this can save up to 9 litres of water per flush.
A bath half full…
As tempting as it is to fill your bath right to the overflow and relax after the kids have gone to bed, do you really need to do this every day? Half filling your bath saves on average 90 litres of water and, of course, the energy required to heat it. If you’re not great at denying yourself a full bath, try our Tempo and Tesi lower capacity baths which offer a soothing soak while using 20% less water.
The Studio Echo collection from Ideal Standard comes with lots of water-saving features
Reuse it
For households with a thirsty garden, a great way to re-use the bath water (also known as grey water) is to water your garden plants. This is an efficient alternative to sprinklers, which can use up to 1,000 litres of water per hour.
Approaches to doing this range from simply scooping bath water up with a watering can, siphoning it out through an upstairs bathroom window using a hose pipe and, for the serious cash-conscious gardener, using an electric pump integrated into your bathroom plumbing.
Shop Ideal Standard
Discover the range of eco-friendly products available from Ideal Standard by clicking on the image below.
More about eco bathrooms
At Victoria Plum, you’ll discover a wide range of eco bathrooms which can help you save water and energy. We also offer ideas and advice on eco bathrooms. Simply click on any of the links below to find out more.
