Shower Heads

If you can buy a conventional (some areas require low flow), as little as $6.99.

Panda Rain Shower Head = $59.95 (usually not including shipping) but annual savings of approximately $75 a year for a family of 3.

Unless you are remodeling or building a house, using your conventional shower head means you don’t have to do anything at all. Plus, with a conventional shower head, you know you will have a robust spray.

Low flow shower heads, with 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm) flow, save water and energy. They save about 50% of the water required by a conventional shower head, which typically use between 4 and 5 gpm. For a family of four taking 5 minute showers, just switching to a low flow will save 14,000 gallons of water per year. But, the Panda Rain Eco Friendly Shower head has a bonus - ShowerStart technology. ShowerStart technology is an added sensor that puts the water flow in “trickle” mode until the water is warm enough to shower. So, you don’t waste water when you’re not in the shower, and you don’t have to stand next to the shower waiting for it to warm up. Brush your teeth or fix your coffee – water won’t be wasted down the drain after the water warms up. When you’re ready to take your shower, flick the switch and the shower will be at full flow. The bonus is that not only are you saving water by using a low flow shower head, you are saving additional time, water and energy with the ShowerStart technology. At 2.5 gpm flow, saving one minute of water per shower can save up to $75 in energy bills and 2,700 gallons of water annually for a family of 3.

Conventional shower heads waste water. It has been estimated that three billion gallons flow through shower heads in the United States and half of that is unnecessary. To get clean water, we use resources to build dams, reservoirs and water treatment plants. Wasting water wastes resources. You can check the flow rate of your existing shower head by turning it on full blast, and timing how long it takes to fill a one gallon plastic jug or bucket. If your shower head fills a one gallon jug in 15 seconds, the flow is 4 gpm. Anything above 2.5 gpm and you are wasting water.

You’ll have to replace your existing shower head, which means you either do it yourself or hire a plumber. Older low flow shower heads restricted flow, and many people complained about inadequate spray. New models are different and feel like conventional shower head spray. However, because low flow shower heads deliver less water, you can get scalded if a toilet is flushed due to the pressure drop. This shouldn’t occur if piping is adequate, and can be prevented by an anti-scald valve. So, if you experience shower water temperature rise with a toilet flush currently, make sure you install an anti-scald valve if you switch to a low flow shower head.

While it is easy just to keep using your conventional shower head, you’re wasting water, energy and money. Water is a precious resource, and to get clean water, we have to use even more resources to tap rivers, pump groundwater, build dams and reservoirs and construct water treatment plants. Plus, wastewater has to be treated by the sewage treatment plant. Simply switching your conventional shower head to a low flow shower head is an easy step to go green.

A low flow shower head is a local solution to a global problem – clean water – that you can feel great about. And the Panda Rain Eco Friendly Shower head has the added bonus of not wasting that water after the shower warms up, but before you get in. Make your shower green – go low flow.