FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, 15 February 2013

Lower Your Shower Flow-Rate And Save Bucket Loads Off Your Bills.

UPPER HUTT, Wellington NZ, 14 FEB 2013—How low is your flow? A simple measuring exercise you can do at home will tell you whether you could save money by installing a more efficient showerhead. Upper Hutt City Council is providing residents with free shower flow measuring bags, which indicate how much households could save on energy costs if they replaced their existing shower head with a low-flow model.

A majority of water-efficient shower heads available on the market have an average flow-rate of 9 litres per minute (or less) while still providing for an enjoyable showering experience. Combined with other conservation measures, such as reducing the length of showers and ensuring the thermostat is set at the appropriate level, residents could stand to save a significant amount of money on energy costs this winter.*

Upper Hutt City Council’s Sustainability Advisor, Roderick Boys, and his fiancée Lottie Sterck, were the first household to test their shower using the measuring bags, and were surprised to discover that their shower head was very inefficient, even though their bathroom had been recently renovated.

“We assumed the shower head would be efficient because the bathroom had been renovated before we bought the house last year, but it was actually running at about 16 litres per minute, which is really high compared to industry standards of about 9 litres per minute,” says Mr Boys. “According to the bag results, we could save up to $500 a year on energy costs, so we switched shower head models and installed an Efergy wall-mounted shower head which works really well.”

Ms Sterck says “I was a little bit skeptical at first, but after we switched there is no significant difference in shower pressure or the way it feels. People like a good shower, and I think there is a misperception that a lower flow means a less enjoyable shower, but that’s not been the case for us, and best of all, we get to do our bit for the environment and save money!”

Efergy Technologies Ltd, manufacturers of energy and water saving products, are supporting water conservation measures in Upper Hutt by offering residents a discount on their low-flow showerheads. These can be purchased online at www.efergy.co.nz/water. To find out more about water conservation in the home and the Efergy shower head offer or calculate potential energy savings for yourself, visit www.upperhuttcity.com/water.

Please note:
The shower-flow measuring bags and the online Shower-head Calculator (at www.upperhuttcity.com/water) have been developed using data provided by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority so the Upper Hutt City Council does not guarantee the accuracy of results from the use of the shower-flow measuring bags or the Shower-head Calculator. For best results follow the Shower-flow measuring bags’ instructions carefully and try to measure the time accurately.
The Upper Hutt City Council does not:
• guarantee or endorse any Efergy products
• the Upper Hutt City Council is not a party to any transactions between you and Efergy and as such has no liability
If you have any questions or concerns about Efergy products, you should contact Efergy directly.
ENDS

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