“Aging in place” has been a buzz word since 2011. That’s the year the AARP published a study confirming that the majority of seniors prefer to live in their own homes as they age. A quick Google search of the phrase turns up more than 300 million hits. To be sure, there are countless resources for seniors who want to remain in their own homes as they age, from the National Aging in Place council…
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The environmental impact of water usage might be just about the only facet of the showers vs baths debate we’ve yet to wade into, so we’ve decided to put that right in this blog.
More specifically, we’ll focus on research concerning contrasting age demographics, and look to decipher whether excessive water usage could present a burgeoning problem amongst the younger generation moving forwards.
We’ll explain which age ranges prefer taking showers to baths, and which brackets will tend to spend longer than is perhaps absolutely necessary when indulging in either vice. In turn, how the related excess water use could have a negative environmental influence.
In basic theory, you can imagine that showers would use more water than baths, considering the constant flow in opposition with a filled tub that doesn’t require any top up.
However, a number of factors are at play that can swing the pendulum in the other direction. Not least, the size of the bathtub in question, and the amount of time the user chooses to spend engulfed in the refreshing deluge of a shower system. The specific shower model’s flow rate is another element to consider as well.
The likes of traditional freestanding baths, for instance, often incorporate a wealthier surface area than a number of modern bathtubs, or alternative designs such as corner baths. And as a result, they’ll usually accommodate more water.
Similarly so, a multitude of modern showers will provide superior flow rate in contrast with other styles, providing refreshing full body coverage but also using plenty more water in a shorter space of time.
Ultimately then, there’s no real definitive answer without taking into account the aforementioned elements and their opposing values.
Generally speaking though, it is thought that a 10-minute shower will use significantly less water than a soak in the tub would. Standard showers are thought to use around 2.5 gallons of water per minute, whilst a large freestanding bath might require the distribution of up to 70 gallons in total.
According to our research, with a sample size of 1000, it’s actually the middle aged to older generation that prefer to take a bath as opposed to a shower.
42.7% of 55-64 year-olds questioned said they preferred to climb into the tub, with the next highest percentage of bath preferring folk (40.4%) stemming from the 35-44 year-old age bracket.
But whilst there’s a correlation between the same age ranges spending longer in the bath on average, there’s little to suggest that extra water is being wasted in comparison with those who don’t soak for quite as long. Of course, the bathtub will typically be filled up initially, so no requirement usually exists to top up the levels after entrance.
That said, the 6.5% of 55-64 year-olds admitting to bathing for in excess of an hour at a time could need to replenish the reservoir they’re sat in after a while. And the same goes for the 5.2% of 25-34 year-olds who also answered that they soaked for 60 minutes plus.
Meanwhile, that same latter category produced significantly the highest percentage of those surveyed to bathe for up to 40 minutes (17.4%), suggesting that there could be some truth to the notion that the younger crop are somewhat prone to a touch of water wastage.
What do the shower statistics say though?
The youngest age range surveyed were the very most receptive to the idea of taking a shower over a bath, with a whopping 69.2% of 18-24 year-olds asked preferring the shorter and sharper blasts of a typical shower system.
However, of that same age bracket, just 4.3% said they spent five minutes or less within their shower enclosure, with a majority 40.4% taking between five and 10 minutes to shower.
Incidentally, that timing spectrum was by far the most popular showering length amongst all demographics on the whole, with 45-54 year-olds the most dominant in the category – 53.8% of the range said they showered for more than five minutes and less than 10.
What is particularly notable though, is that of each of the three youngest age brackets would appear to be far more in favour of longer showers when lined up against the older three age categories.
More than a third of all respondents aged between 18 and 44 said they spend a minimum of 10 minutes in the shower, whilst 22.1% was the highest percentage that answered the same of the eldest three age ranges (55-64 year-olds).
Plus, 16% was the lowest total of the youngest three categories that explained a preference for showering for up to 20 minutes. By contrast, 7.1% was the highest amount of any of the three eldest groups to mirror that shower ‘speed’.
And practically every person who admitted to showering for 25 minutes or longer hailed from the initial three age brackets too. Just 0.6% of people over 45 said they spend so long in the shower, with the 25-34 age range flying the flag for excessive shower stints – their 4.6% to stick around for 25 minutes or more was the highest of all those surveyed.
All in all, based on the data we’ve garnered from a sizeable enough sample, it seems the blame can be shared to some extent.
Although the older generation would seem to prefer the water-sapping confines of a bathtub more so than the younger clan we questioned, it seems the shower-mad youngsters are prone to spending an excessive amount of time in their enclosures.
The fact that 5-10 minutes was the most popular shower duration amongst all those questioned is encouraging overall, and surely in most circumstances, a shower doesn’t really need to go too far past the 10 minute, and 25 gallon mark.
But why are we harping on about water wastage anyway, I hear you ask?
There are anthropocentric, biocentric and ecocentric reasons to preserve water supplies as and when possible, with no drawbacks to any of them.
nthropocentric
Basically, freshwater supplies are limited in several countries all around the world, with 36 nations listed as being in an ‘extremely high stress’ situation as it pertains to clean H20.
The UK itself is currently at a ‘low/medium’ stress level, and only continued efforts to preserve supplies where possible can ensure it continues to maintain that status.
Crops, plants, commercial prospects and in turn, the livelihoods of certain people can all be put at risk by the unnecessary wastage of water in extreme examples.
And we’re more prone than most areas to using water unnecessarily too, considering how easy it is to take for granted the presence of taps and shower systems that can literally offer fresh water at the twist of a handle or touch of a button.
From a more selfish aspect, using excessive levels of water both domestically and in a business sense can lead to unwanted added energy bills, and a greater budgetary strain.
Put simply, a biocentric viewpoint is one that sees humans as no more important than any other living organisms on the planet. Essentially, every living thing exists within the same ecosystem, and the sharing of the same resources is vital to each of them.
As alluded to in our anthropocentric explanation, several countries struggle in terms of their freshwater supply, and several species of animals and plants suffer as a result.
And given the integrity of so many animals and plants to the environment and the cyclical way the world works, the needless wasting of water represents an extremely narrow-minded practice in the grand scheme of things.
All in all, frequent excess water wastage can lead to animal species heading towards extinction, with a lack of water also detrimentally affecting plantations from growing as they should, as well as a far less ready supply of available drinking water.
The ecocentric point of view is not too dissimilar to the biocentric one described – it promotes the idea that the earth, its ecosystem and everything contained are equally as important as each other.
Accounting for an enhancing global population, the demand for freshwater is at the highest level ever, and in turn, fresh water needs to be sourced from alternative means such as ground water and aquifers.
These methods take much longer than usual as the extraction rate is far exceeded by the regeneration rate, further exemplifying why avoidable water wastage is just that – avoided.
Ultimately, the unsustainable nature of these water sourcing processes can see added carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere on the back of filtration, extraction and transportation processes. And as a result, our carbon footprint is further solidified, assisting an increase of the earth’s temperatures on the whole.
Be sure to explore the Big Bathroom Shop blog to find out further information about a wide range of topics related to the showers vs baths debate, and much more too.
And if you would like any help or assistance regarding our product range, or choosing the perfect bathtub or shower for your bathroom area, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
You can leave us a message in the comments section below, or contact the team via Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
The post Showers vs Baths: Is Water Wastage A Generational Issue? written by John Klee appeared first on Big Bathroom Shop.
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A heritage-listed home is a property or building that has been identified by your state/territory and local government as having a historical or cultural value that is worth conserving for future generations.
State/territory and local authorities will have different rules for what homeowners can and can’t do with a heritage-listed house. Although, in general, the rules typically concentrate around conserving the property’s style and look, particularly the front façade and any original elements, as well as maintaining a balance between the old and modern.
Even though bathroom renovations have no limitations in heritage-listed homes, a vintage-inspired aesthetic for your bathroom will enhance the house’s original charm and perfectly compliment the remarkable exterior.
Heritage-listed homes all throughout Sydney can benefit from the vintage style bathroom. For heritage bathroom renovations Coogee all the way to vintage bathroom renovations Penrith, look no further than Novalé bathrooms. Novalé bathrooms have completed many tricky vintage bathroom renovations all over Sydney, so we can confidently inspire you for your next vintage bathroom renovation.
In particular, get inspired by Novalé’s recent vintage Bathroom Renovation Coogee. See how our expert designers perfectly transformed three outdated bathrooms in a Coogee home into perfect vintage style bathrooms with up-to-date installations for modern performance.
What is a Vintage Style Bathroom Renovation?
It’s an issue that many heritage-listed house owners face, how to modernise a bathroom but still stay true to the era of the home?
At Novalé, we know how difficult picking a bathroom renovation design can be, especially in homes with such unique historic features as those in heritage homes. Our experienced design team works with you to deliver tailored bathroom renovation ideas and allows your whole renovation to come together seamlessly.
In essence, we add classic charm in new bathroom renovations, re-creating vintage bathroom aesthetics that allows homeowners to enjoy period charm without sacrificing on modern convenience. Our vintage styled bathrooms provide that classic look and feel of yesteryear whilst allowing for an opulent style.
Our expert design teams at Novalé have bathroom inspirations to suit everyone in any location. From heritage bathroom renovations Coogee to vintage bathroom renovations Penrith, Novalé bathrooms has decades of experience ensuring vintage dreams come to fruition.
Vintage Bathroom Renovation Coogee – Case Study
Novalé Bathrooms had the privilege to design and renovate three vintage bathrooms in this Coogee home resulting in a good mix of old and new features. Each element in this bathroom renovation Coogee is sure to impress guests for the rest of time.
As you are probably well aware, older homes are not without their flaws, such as clogged plumbing, gaps above door frames, and lights with a mind of their own. Even the best-kept heritage property can deteriorate with time, and certain sections may require more than a makeover.
For this vintage-inspired bathroom renovation Coogee, there was no need to be completely bound by the home’s architectural elements. So, some structural elements like the doors, windows, and ceilings were updated in all bathrooms as part of the bathroom renovation Coogee.
Although particularly in the downstairs bathroom, the design team felt removing the traditional structural features modernised the bathroom a bit too much. So, to balance out these modern structural upgrades in the Coogee bathroom renovation, the design team selected vintage-looking bathroom installations that mimic the era when the home was built.
In particular, both vanities in the downstairs bathrooms have a powerful vintage appeal with classic tapware, clawfoot features and antique vanity nobs that perfect match the home’s date of construction.
Both downstairs bathrooms in this bathroom renovation Coogee are not overpowered by the vintage aesthetic, as the colour palette was cleverly utilised. Using the colour palette to tone down the vintage aesthetics in a bathroom renovation is an excellent idea. As in this bathroom renovation Coogee the light blue was used for wall paint, towels, and other accessories to lighten the space and give it a more modern feel.
When the original homes in Sydney were being constructed, glass and heating was a considerable expense. As a result, many historic homes were built with small windows so homeowners could save on electricity.
This bathroom renovation Coogee was no exception! The home has very small windows, with some rooms having no windows at all, which resulted in very little natural light. So, in the upstairs bathroom renovation Coogee, the Novalé labours installed a skylight above the tub to add extra light, circulation and making the perfect spot for indoor plants.
Each of the three bathrooms in this bathroom renovation Coogee seamlessly connect throughout the home as each of the spaces incorporate the same two vintage materials.
The first is marble stone, which is utilised in various applications from floor tiles, wall tiles, and vanity tops. The classic and beautiful veining of marble is a no-brainer for vintage-inspired bathrooms and also adds value to the home! No matter the form, natural stone looks impressive throughout the Coogee bathroom renovation.
In addition, all three-bathroom renovations Coogee use matching chrome tapware. Although gold metals are a good option for a vintage-inspired renovation, chrome is still the number one tapware choice in terms of practicality. The use of silver metals makes this bathroom renovation Coogee easier to clean and maintain, with strong resistance to scratches and fingerprints for many years to come.
Start Your Heritage Bathroom Renovation with Novalé!
A beautifully renovated heritage-listed property is more in demand than an unrenovated one, so no matter if you are getting ready to sell or have just bought your dream heritage property. It’s time to invest in a vintage bathroom renovation to perfectly match the time period of your home with Novalé bathrooms.
No matter if you need bathroom renovators for a large vintage bathroom in Penrith, heritage bathroom renovation Coogee, or a small bathroom renovation Alexandria, Novalé’s highly experienced teams are available to help you produce a beautiful and highly functional modern bathroom design.
If you are beginning to research bathroom renovators for your modern bathroom design and renovation project, consider including Novalé Bathrooms in your shortlist. We offer bathroom renovations in Penrith to bathroom renovations in Coogee, Newtown and all the way to bathroom renovations in Alexandria. For a full list of the Areas We Service, see here.
Our teams are ready to start building you a fantastic modern bathroom design. We implement a unique 4 step bathroom renovation process, and we encourage potential customers to read the 12 reasons to choose Novalé. Additionally, you can read our testimonials and reviews to learn about the experience others have had to renovate with Novalé. For more information on how we transform your bathroom, please get in contact with the Novalé team on 1800 NOVALÉ.
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