A Metaefficient Bathroom – Environmentally Friendly And Functional

A bathroom may be one of the smallest rooms of a home, but make no mistake – it’s a vital one. Whether you’re building a new home or renovating an existing one, integrating efficient components into a bathroom will add convenience and improve functionality, and also minimize the environmental impact of energy and water consumption.
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A solar shower is a fun and highly efficient device for summer. It operates by attaching a standard garden hose to the shower — water is heated inside an integrated solar-thermal tank. After 1-2 hours the water will be hot enough for a shower. Solar heated shower are also handy for camping — you can find portable solar showers here. (more…)

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I’ve been testing the Road Runner low-flow showerhead, which is rated at 1.59 gallons per minute. Currently, it’s my favorite showerhead, beating out my previous favorites: the 2GPM Oxygenics showerhead, and the 1.75GPM Nigara Earth Massage showerhead. The Road Runner has a unique feature: it has a built-in sensor that detects when the water gets warm enough for showering (95° F or 35° C), and then it “pauses” the shower by reducing the water flow to a trickle. 

You don’t have to wait for the water to warm up, instead you go do something else like brush your teeth. This feature works quite well for me, and I might end up saving some hot water. You can see a video of the showerhead working here.

I also liked the consistent, rain-like flow of the Road Runner showerhead — the showerhead has a nice wide coverage pattern. The manufacturer says the Road Runner will produce a constantly flow, even if your water pressure is variable.

The Road Runner showerehead is available from Clean Air Gardening for $40.

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Th Best Low Flow Showerheads

Low-flow showerheads are efficient. They can significantly reduce your household water consumption without a noticeable difference to your shower experience. The term “low flow” is generally defined as a showerhead with a water consumption rate of 0.5 to 2 gallons per minute (gpm). Here’s my review of what’s available:

Ultra Oxygenics Low-Flow Showerhead

Low Flow Shower Head: Oxygenics

Pros: Attractive design. Adapts well to different kinds of water pressure. Has a lever that adjusts water velocity. Oxygenates water.

Cons: Has a jet-like sound that some may find distracting. May reduce the temperature of your shower water a bit.

Price: $20-35

The Oxygenics SkinCare Showerhead is my favorite low-flow showerhead. It has a vigorous spray and it oxygenates the water quite well. It is a “self-pressurizing” showerhead, meaning it adapts to low or variable water pressure. It can deliver a great shower whether the water pressure is 20 psi (pounds per square inch) or 100 psi. It has a maximum flow rate of just 1.5 gallons of water per minute. It has a comfort control lever on the side to allow for the regulation of water velocity at the showerhead, allowing the user to select a spray ranging from brisk and stimulating to soft and gentle.

Available from Amazon for around $17.

Niagara Earth Massage Low-Flow Shower Head

Niagara Earth Massage Low-Flow Shower Head

Pros: Produces a pleasant, massaging spray. Non-aerated spray means no water temperature loss. Self-cleaning. Good price.

Cons: Some may prefer an aerated spray.

Price: $17

Nice shower head  – the 1.75 gpm adjustable spray of this showerhead delivers a broad, rain-like spray or a focused, pulsating massaging spray. It is self-cleaning, and the non-aerated spray mean less temperature loss between the showerhead and you.

Available from Amazon for around $17

Ultra Saver Showerhead

Ultra Saver Showerhead

Pros: Uses only 1.5 gallons per minute. The price is hard to beat.

Cons: “No-Frills” design. May need to be replaced in a couple years.

Price: $3-$8

These low-cost showerheads get good reviews from buyers, and they certainly have a low-flow rate at 1.5 gallons per minute. Apparently, this showerhead lasts for about two years before it needs replacing. The pressure of the water erodes the water holes and the spray becomes uneven. This similar showerhead can be cleaned, thus avoiding this problem.

Available from Amazon for $3-$8.

Bricor Low Flow Showerheads

Bricor Low Flow Showerheads

Pros: Good design. Can be used with very low water pressure. Use only 0.5-1 gallons per minute!

Cons: Pricey.

Price: $60-$80

How low can you go with showerheads? Well, Bricor has some showerheads that use as little as a 1/2 a gallon of water per minute. These showerheads make use of “vacuum flow restriction” technology created by Bricor. The showerheads seen here are the “B100 SUPERMAX” series, and they are rated at 1.125 gallons per minute @ 50 psi. Bricor also has a “B100 ULTRA MAX” showerhead that is rated at 0.5025 gpm. You’ll have to pay for such a low flow — the showerheads cost about $60-$80 each. But don’t forget you’ll be saving water and the cost of heating the hot water for your showers.

Link: Bricor

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Bricor offers a range of low-flow shower heads, including one rated at 1.0 GPM.

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Internal mechanisms also enrich the shower water with oxygen. It also comes in a 2 gpm hand-held design. The hand-held version sells for about $45, the showerhead version sells for $30-60.

Available from: Amazon ($29.97)

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Created in Europe, the imported shower is able to heat water to 140°F in 1-2 hours in sunny weather. The manufacturer claims that the shower is capable of capturing heat from the ambient temperature in the air on hot, but cloudy days.

It hooks up to a regular garden hose, and allow you to adjust the water temperature from warm to cold (cold water is delivered directly via the garden hose).

It can bolted to wood or cement, and is designed to be unbolted easily for portability.

“Belvisi Solar Shower” available from: Pool Products and other retailers (around $398)

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The Earth Massage showerhead is available from Amazon.

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