When I purchased this house five years ago, the realtor pointed to the fancy shower fixture in the main bedroom, “That’s the most ridiculous shower fixture I’ve ever seen.” Not a good thing to say when you’re selling a house; and, moreover, she was quite wrong!
Technically it’s called a thermostatic shower fixture, meaning there is a rotating element that lets you set the hot and cold water settings (i.e. the water temperature coming out of the shower) once, and it stays at that setting whenever you turn the other, water volume, valve. It’s very convenient, not having to fiddle with the hot and cold every time you take a shower. Sometimes very tempting too, when you crave a piping hot shower!
Dermatologists say the ideal temperature for a shower or bath is 112 F or lower. I put a thermometer in the water flow to set it around 105 F. It’s not very hot, but not cold either. The water temperature isn’t terribly comforting. It’s cool enough in the winter so you take a quick Navy shower. (The Navy shower technique can reduce water consumption by 95%.) The water feels only lukewarm in the summer, so – again – you get the job done quickly. Either way, you save energy by using less hot water and at a lower temperature.
The skin doctors say really hot water washes away all the beneficial bacteria in your skin – all the oils too! 112 F and below doesn’t do that. They also recommend showering at most every other day, with attention to “the bits and pits” daily. I work out several hours each day, so I do take a quick shower in the evening, but I only soap up the whole body once a week. Try it – your skin will thank you for it!
And your utility bills, too.
__________
Excerpted from Going Green, available as an eBook at this list of eBook retailers online.