Tackling water scarcity through sustainable showering

Paul Ravnbo-West, Market Development Manager at Triton Showers, explores how pairing electric showers with wastewater heat recovery systems can help developers meet regional water usage limits and end-users combat rising water bills. 

Despite the UK facing a projected shortfall of five billion litres of water per day by 2050, water efficiency is still viewed by many as a future concern. The reality, however, couldn’t be more different. The Met Office’s latest climate report, for example, revealed that extremes of heat, rainfall and droughts are becoming the norm, with the past three years among the top five warmest on record for the UK. 

The past five months alone have brought substantial droughts, with reservoir levels at their lowest for a decade. To suggest we are sleepwalking towards a water crisis would be inaccurate – we are already in one. Even with households facing exponentially rising water bills, the onus to reduce consumption can’t fall solely on them either. This is where the Future Homes Standard 2025 is set to serve as a blueprint for the next generation of zero-carbon-ready housing stock. 

The incoming regulations are poised to reshape how developers approach water efficiency, mandating stringent limits on per capita consumption and encouraging the integration of sustainable technologies – not just heat pumps either. Regulations aside, it has never been more important to reduce both water and energy consumption wherever possible. 

Cutting waste at the source 

As the largest domestic consumer of water, showers are a key target for conservation. While electric showers are known for their energy efficiency, their water-saving potential is equally significant. By heating water on demand from the cold mains supply, electric showers eliminate the need to run taps while awaiting hot water – one of the most common sources of water waste. 

Electric showers also tend to operate at lower flow rates than mixers, using less water per minute without compromising on comfort. This makes electric showers an ideal solution for those building dwellings in water-stressed regions, where permitted water use is less than 110 litres per person per day. This tighter limit – down from the standard 125 litres – is being adopted by a growing number as part of planning conditions to future-proof developments against water scarcity. 

A dynamic duo 

The benefits of electric showers are further amplified when paired with a Waste Water Heat Recovery System (WWHRS). These systems capture the heat from used shower water, which is typically lost down the drain, and use it to pre-warm the incoming cold mains water. The preheated water then enters the electric shower unit, reducing the energy required to reach the desired temperature. Not only does this passive process lower a household’s overall CO₂ emissions and energy bills, but it also helps to maintain consistent shower performance, particularly during colder months when mains water temperatures plummet. 

ENlight with HeatRepeat, Triton’s first electric shower designed to connect to WWHRS, can reduce annual energy consumption by up to 51%, water usage by 44% and produce carbon savings of up to 37%, when compared to a mixer shower connected to a WWHRS. When ENlight with HeatRepeat is connected to a WWHRS, the operational carbon emission savings, compared to a mixer shower, can negate its own embodied carbon footprint, including that of the WWHRS, in as little as three months. The shower also delivers a spray of approximately five litres per minute when connected to a WWHRS, improving overall satisfaction. 

Beyond environmental impact, this pairing supports grid resilience by lowering peak energy demand, particularly during morning and evening usage spikes. For developers, it offers a practical route to achieving compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations – outperforming mixers in key SAP metrics, including the Dwelling Emissions Rate (DER) and Dwelling Primary Energy Rate (DPER). 

As the nation’s water crisis intensifies, the urgency to rethink how we use water in our homes has never been greater. By adopting electric showers, particularly when paired with WWHRS, specifiers can take meaningful steps towards reducing water consumption and lowering energy use. 

www.tritonshowers.co.uk/heatrepeat