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How can you save electricity with thermostatic taps for your shower?
Thermostatic taps enable you to control temperature and water flow. This way it will make it possible not to waste water or energy in your daily life. If you have an electric water heater, this is an ideal complement to increase its efficiency.
What are thermostatic taps?
Thermostatic taps have been designed to maintain a constant water temperature, avoiding changes. It is regulated by automatically compensating the flows of cold and hot water. There is usually one control for the pressure and another to set the desired temperature.
They are usually used in baths and showers, as they ensure a constant flow and temperature. For example, if you are taking a shower and someone varies the flow of cold water by turning on the sink tap, the temperature or pressure of the shower will not change.
How thermostatic taps work
Thermostatic taps have a regulator that increases or decreases the flow of hot and cold water by closing the holes through which water enters. There are two types of regulators:
- A capsule with a wire coil which serves as a spring: this type of regulator is more sensitive and efficient.
- A wax capsule or wax expansion element.
Generally, the temperature control is marked in degrees, with a small margin of error. When you want to exceed 38ºC, there is a block that stops it turning: It usually has a button that releases the rotation. The reason for this mechanism is safety, because higher temperatures can cause burns on the skin. This block stops the water temperature from accidentally rising sharply.
To ensure the safety of this type of taps, there are also models which have cold water circulating under the surface to prevent the metal from heating up and which could cause burns on contact with the skin.
Advantages of using thermostatic taps
The following is a break-down of the advantages of using thermostatic taps:
Savings: we have already mentioned savings in electricity, but there are also savings in water volume. Firstly, because the mechanism ensures that the water comes out at a certain temperature, not like in those showers or baths where you have to let the hot water run for a while to reach the desired temperature. There is also the possibility of controlling the flow of water easily which helps to avoid waste.
Simplicity: you do not need to turn taps on or off or manipulate a single lever to obtain the desired temperature, just select it in the regulator. Even if you turn the tap off and then on again, the water will come out at the same temperature. This means you can leave the temperature set so that it is to your liking every time you use the shower or bath.
Comfort: you do not need to put up with temperature changes in the water because you can make sure that the temperature is constant. The flow of water will also be constant, even if you turn other taps on or flush the toilet.
Peace of mind: these taps have safety mechanisms that prevent you from accidentally setting very high temperatures that could cause burns.
Efficiency: the design includes synthetic material inside which prevents lime from being deposited and prolongs the useful life.
Types of thermostatic taps
There are several types, depending on the design and function.
With regard to the design, you have already seen that they can come with a wax capsule or wire coil. There are also those that do not have a flow regulator or button to prevent burns, although most of those marketed in the European Union (EU) have them.
Depending on the function, there are the following:
- Thermostatic taps for the shower: these can be built-in (recessed in the wall, taking up less space) or for roll-in showers. The latter can be installed instead of other taps.
- Thermostatic bathtub taps: with a water outlet for the bathtub.
How much can you save on your bills by using thermostatic taps?
We have calculated that in a house with 4 people, the difference between having thermostatic taps and not having them can mean a saving of almost 50 euros a year in water and electricity bills.
Water saving
As we have already mentioned, thermostatic taps mean saving in the volume of water you consume. For example, if you take a shower with a conventional tap and for about 5 minutes, you will use an average of 15 litres per minute, which means you will use 75 litres of water. But with thermostatic taps you can comfortably reduce that by up to 15%. This means you could go from using 75 litres of water to 63.75 litres of water per shower. If you shower once a day, the annual savings would mean going from 27,375 litres to 23,268.75 litres. This represents an annual saving of 8.007 euros, according to data for the average price for 1,000 litres in Spain in 2021, 1.95 euros, according to the Spanish Association for Water Supplies and Sanitation (AEAS). If there are 4 people at home, the savings amount to 32 euros per year.
Saving on electricity
If you have a water heater or electric water heater, thermostatic taps will help you save on your electricity bill. Depending on the model and manufacturer, a tap can help you reduce your electricity consumption by up to 17%. If your home has a 6 kW tankless electric water heater and you take a 5-minute daily shower, the annual electricity consumption will be 182.4 kWh. If you install a thermostatic tap, the annual consumption would fall to 151.4 kWh. Taking the average price per kWh for the last 12 months (0.143 euros), annual savings would be 4.43 euros. In a household with 4 members this becomes 17.7 euros per year.
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