#76 - Shower Smarter, Not Longer: Saving Water With The Power Of Pressure

Karen and Cath are joined by three water-saving experts to discuss their fascinating research on water usage during showers. Their guests being: Dr James Daly, Sustainability Manager at the University of Bristol; Ian Walker, Professor of Environmental Psychology at Bristol; and Dr Pablo Pereia Doel, Water Literacy and Sustainable Water Programme Lead at the University of Surrey. Together, they discuss the findings from their study that monitored over 86,000 individual showering events and which suggests that higher water pressure can significantly reduce water usage. 
 
 

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Timestamps 

 

• 0:00 - Introductions + an everything shower?!


• 5:05 - What is the research and what inspired it?


• 7:00 - How was the research conducted?


• 10:20 - The experiment in the halls of residence and the data recorded + how the sensors work


• 12:45 - The behavioural disconnect that happens whilst showering


• 15:52 - The advantage of using a timer when measuring


• 20:05 - How can the results from the research be used?


• 21:15 - The impact of having low flow pressure


• 22:40 - The level of pressure that impacts shower length


• 24:50 - Future plans and implementations for the research


• 27:10 - Being able to tease out social influences within the shower use


• 31:10 - Personal water use of the guests


• 32:08 - Final thoughts and farewell

Show notes

High shower pressure can help people save water, study suggests | Water | The Guardian

OSF Preprints | Beyond the water flow rate: Water pressure and smart timers impact shower efficiency