How to Make Your Bathroom Eco Efficient

We all need to do our bit when helping to protect the environment. If you want to learn how to make your bathroom more eco efficient then keep reading. We’ve shared our expert advice on creating a more environmentally friendly bathroom.

From recycling to using less energy, every little thing we do adds up, giving us the ability to change the world for the better.

Even our homes are becoming smarter with smart meters showing us exactly how much energy we're using and energy saving tips making us more aware of what we can do to help.

Recycling is now commonplace throughout the UK, along with composting food waste and saving rainwater. But we can still do more. Have you considered how you could help the environment with the design of your bathroom? Welcome to the world of eco bathrooms!

Eco bathrooms contain water-saving and energy-saving features, designed to minimise the impact of our daily lives on the environment. But what elements do you find in eco bathrooms?

Eco Bathrooms

As we hurdle our way into the future, it’s so great to see technology evolve and adapt with the aim to create eco-friendly bathroom products. Brands such as Hansgrohe, Eco Delux and Grohe are some of the top brands who are excelling at making their products more eco efficient.

Hansgrohe is one of the world's largest and most respected bathroom suppliers and manufacturers. The Green Company team of the Hansgrohe group has defined 10 initiatives with concrete objectives and projects. They develop their eco efficient products on the basis of these environmentally friendly initiatives with the main goal of becoming a Green company. Their range of eco-friendly products are a great option for those looking to create a more sustainable bathroom and reduce their carbon footprint.

How to Make Your Bathroom Eco Friendly

There are so many ways that you can make your bathroom more eco-friendly. From the products that you install to your daily bathroom habits, these are some of the best ways to make your bathroom more eco efficient

1. Water-saving toilet

The first place to save water is the toilet. Whilst the traditional toilet design may have used up to 6 litres of water per flush, today's modern designs come with dual flushes, so you can choose a short flush, which is usually around 3 litres. It's best to think of the larger flush as a last resort!

Most of the toilets we sell have cistern fittings approved by the WRAS (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme).

2. Get a water saving tap

A water saving tap does exactly as it states, saves water. The Hansgrohe Vernis Blend Single Lever Basin Mixer 70 is a great option for those looking for an economical way of adding designer elegance to your bathroom.

The AirPower technology adds generous amounts of air to the water, creating a soft, splash-free spray while EcoSmart technology reduces the flow rate to save water and energy.

3. Eco shower bath

Another clever bit of thinking, our very own product designers came up with this brilliant bathtub, which can be used for showering too. An average shower uses less water than a bath, so by having a shower rather than a bath, you're already helping to do your bit.

However, if you do fancy a relaxing soak in your multi-purpose shower bath, this can mean using an excessive amount of water due to the oversized end. But with our ingenious design, the bath is shaped to resemble a straight bath, using 40 litres less than a regular shower bath.

4. Upgrade your shower head

The Hansgrohe Vernis Shape EcoSmart 230 1 Spray Shower Head is a great option. Using EcoSmart technology, this toilet will reduce water and energy consumption by up to 60%. The Rain Spray feature allows for easy and effective hair washing and cleansing. This model also features QuickClean, which allows you to easily clean your shower head as the nubs work to loosen any limescale deposits. Keeping your shower head clean and looking like new.

Cold showers may not be for everyone. But adding a few cold showers instead of hot ones can help to save energy. Around 12% of your energy bills come from heating up your water, so a cold shower is a really good way to bring those bills down and use less energy. 

Cold showers will not only save you money on your bills and improve your carbon footprint, they also have health benefits such as:

• Helps improve metabolism
• Improves circulation
• Helps your immune system
• Increases endorphins
  
  

5. Electric shower

Another great way to save both water and energy is to use an electric shower. Easy to install, electric showers only draw from your cold water supply, meaning you only heat the water you wish to use. This saves on unnecessary water heating from your central heating supply and is ideal if you have a big house with multiple bathrooms. Most also come with an eco function, meaning you can run it as efficiently as possible.

6. Speedy showers

Spending less time in the shower is a great way to save water and energy. Less time spent in the shower means less water is going down the drain. We recommend that you keep your shower time 4 - 5 minutes long, by doing this the average household can save £95 a year on their bills. So you will be saving money all while doing your bit for the environment.

7. Low energy lighting

Swapping to LED lights is a great way to make your bathroom more sustainable. LED bulbs are eco-friendly and use much less energy compared to other bulbs. They are also brighter and last much longer! By switching to LED bulbs and adding LED mirrors, an average household can save up to £65 a year on their energy bills.

Choose downlighters or spotlights with LED bulbs, rather than one big lighting fixture. This will help to save energy. An illuminated mirror could also be used as an alternative source of bathroom lighting.

8. Bye bye bathtime

Some people love to have a bath. It is a perfect way to relax and unwind, especially after a long day at work. But baths use a lot of water, and bathing regularly will result in higher bills. Swapping just 1 bath per week for a speedy shower will see your water and energy bills £20 cheaper each year, so imagine if you swap out 3-4 baths a week! By ditching the tub, you will be saving water and improving your carbon footprint.

9. Efficient heating

Efficient heating is the way forward. Buy a radiator or heated towel rail with a BTU that is too high for your room and you'll literally be burning off energy unnecessarily.

Handy hint: Find out how to calculate BTU for your room.

Look for energy-efficient materials when buying radiators and towel heaters. Aluminium is fully recyclable and heats up quicker than other metals for incredibly efficient heating in your home.

With some radiators and heated towel rails, you could even use a heating element, which allows you to use your bathroom heating independently to your central heating. This is perfect if you have extra bathrooms in your home which are only used rarely.

Make sure you bleed radiators, ideally around September or October, before the cold snaps hit home.

10. Turning off the taps

So many people are guilty of leaving the taps on. Especially when brushing their teeth, washing their face, or anything else that requires a running tap. But doing this does more damage than you think. By leaving the tap turned on so much water is wasted. A running tap can use up to 10 litres of water per minute!

So next time you turn your tap on, turn it off when you don’t need it. This will save you money on water and energy bills and is much more eco-friendly.

11. What’s drippin’

Is that bathroom tap still dripping throughout the night? While it may not look like a lot of water is being lost, leaving a dripping tap unfixed can waste thousands of litres of water a year. So it is important to fix that drip as soon as possible to avoid any unnecessarily high bills and hurting the environment. If you are unsure how to fix a dripping tap, have a read through our useful step by step guide. Alternatively, you can opt for a tap that includes an eco-click water saving feature, such as the Bristan - Quadrato Basin Mixer.

12. Switch to a bidet

Switching your regular toilet for a bidet toilet may sound counter active. Bidet toilets virtually eliminate the need for toilet paper by using water instead. Despite using water, a bidet will actually save water in the long run. 

You may be surprised, but manufacturing toilet paper is incredibly water-intensive. So by switching to a bidet, you can save gallons of water by eliminating the need for toilet roll. This is also environmentally friendly, as it is estimated that 27,000 trees are cut down each day so that toilet paper can be manufactured. That’s 9.8 million trees a year!

The Arezzo Smart Toilet with Bidet Function is a great option for someone looking to upgrade to a bidet, as this model is also a Smart Toilet. This means you get a bidet along with a wide range of features to further improve your bathroom routine. What makes this toilet even more eco friendly is the power-saving feature that will help to save electricity.

13. Reduce plastic waste

There are so many recyclable plastics out there. But still, between 85% and 90% of plastic still ends up at the landfills every year. And around 10 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans. This is why it is important to look for fully recyclable bathroom products. A good way to do this is to switch bottles for bars. Whether it's bars of soaps or shampoo bars, you won't find it difficult to ditch the bottles.

A Greener Future

By implementing these tips and tricks into your lifestyle, you will be doing your part in working towards a greener future that is more eco-friendly and efficient.

And, with brands such as Hansgrohe already doing their part by designing and manufacturing high quality, eco efficient products that will save money and energy, the future is looking much greener. 

More Tips for Eco Bathrooms

There's plenty of handy hints at VictoriaPlum.com when it comes to creating eco bathrooms that will really help you do your bit.