Enclosed Showers – More Comfortable & More Efficient

Post image for Enclosed Showers – More Comfortable & More Efficient

by Tim Fulton on September 13, 2010

I think most of us know that showers are a fairly decent energy hog. We try to make them better by installing low flow shower heads, turning the water off while soaping up, or using a timer to get you out of the shower quicker. These are great things and do save a lot of water and the energy needed to heat the water up. So, we would like to add one more trick to the list. The trick is to completely enclose the shower stall.

Enclosing the shower stall has many different benefits. First off, all that steamy water and heat stays in the shower stall which keeps you nice and toasty warm. This allows you to use cooler water to shower which saves on the amount of energy needed to heat the water. Also, by keeping all that steam in the stall, your bathroom mirror doesn’t fog up. So, you can use it as soon as you get out of the shower. This also will help stop mildew build up in the bathroom if its not very well ventilated.

So, what does it take to get a enclosed shower stall? Well, our first choice at EcoRenovator is normally a DIY approach. For that, we would recommend taking a look at LowEnergy’s write up “Cozy Low-Energy Shower” on instructables.com. Its a great write up and he actually goes through a few additional ideas on saving water in the shower. The other option would be to purchase an enclosed shower stall. For that option, you’ll want to head on over to the Showerdome website. There you can find info on purchasing an enclosed shower kit.

Photo: showerdome.co.nz

{ 3 comments }

1 benpope September 13, 2010 at 11:01 am

It would be a good idea to include a powered vent to the outside so that moisture doesn’t accumulate after you shower. After you shower you could leave the shower door open and turn on a 15 minute timer for the fan. If you really wanted to go nuts (which some of us are known to do from time to time), use a heat exchanger to draw out the water and keep most of the heat.

2 Tim Fulton September 15, 2010 at 7:27 am

As the instructables article says, since the moisture is mainly contained in the shower itself, it drys out very quickly when opened up. In a traditional shower the entire bathroom gets moist and has to clear out. If anything, moisture is less of a problem with this type of shower.

3 tasdrouille September 13, 2010 at 6:15 pm

Great post!

Comments on this entry are closed.