How much extra does it cost to shave in the shower?

[delister]

I'm hoping some math wiz will be able to help me convince my husband not to shave in the shower. He says that it doesn't cost any more because he's already in the shower anyway, but I know it does because it extends the time he spends in the shower anywhere from 5 - 10 minutes when he does shave. He isn't washing his body or hair when he shaves, so he takes extra time to do it.

My question is how much is he wasting doing this? How much does it cost in extra water and gas bills (we have a gas water heater) each year if he spends an extra 5 minutes in the shower each day?

[bjl584]

Probably not enough to make a noticeable difference in your bill honestly.

The average shower head has a flow rate of around 1.5 to 2 gallons per minute.

I'll assume that your husband doesn't shave every day, so he might be using an extra 10 gallons to 15 gallons a week.

If your water/sewage bill is like mine, then you pay for usage in blocks of X amount of gallons, not by the actual gallons consumed. So, the bill might not change at all if he takes a 5 minute shorter shower a couple times a week.

[xclonexclonex]

The monthly expense might not increase, but that is a total waste of water!

I shave every 3-4 days, and there is no way I would even use a gallon of water when I shave at the sink.

Surely, he can see reason in that. Wasting water is a very bad thing!

[ua_guy]

Personally, I'd go after "bigger fish", if I was going to fry one with my significant other. I mean no disrespect, but that seems like a....very granular...thing to point out unless the two of you are truly struggling with income or expenses down to the last dime, in which case I think you'd receive more empathy. Then maybe he could shorten his routine or just use the sink for shaving. His masculine habit of face shaving in the shower is probably comparable to your feminine habit of hair washing and styling, if you keep long hair. And, in his defense, if he pees in the shower, he saves a few gallons of water every day. Just saying.

[delister]

Points taken on the water usage, but how about the heating cost -- how much does it cost to heat that water that he is wasting?

[bjl584]

Points taken on the water usage, but how about the heating cost -- how much does it cost to heat that water that he is wasting?

Gas is reasonably cheap and a very efficient means to make heat.

So, again it probably isn't going to reduce costs all that noticeably to take a 5 minute shorter shower a couple times a week.

I have to agree with the other poster. If you are looking to cut costs then it's probably wiser to go after some larger problems in your budget.

[phantom]

I think my husband actually views shaving in the shower as a way to save money. Outside the shower, he won't shave without shaving cream, but in the shower, he doesn't need it. So, as long as he shaves in the shower, we don't have to buy shaving cream for him.

I'm really not sure how the extra gas we use to heat the water compares to the cost of shaving cream, but our gas bill last month was only $26, which includes gas for cooking and heating all the other hot water we use. So, I can't imagine that there would be much savings to be had by not heating the extra hot water that my husband uses by shaving the the shower.

[ua_guy]

Points taken on the water usage, but how about the heating cost -- how much does it cost to heat that water that he is wasting?

Just for fun I ran a scenario at the following website, using the base assumptions for a gas water heater, $0.93 therm cost, 64 gallons of hot water per day, efficient model.

Using 64 gallons of hot water per day, for just two people seems high, so your results will likely be cheaper.

It was $227/year to run at 64 gallons/day. Assuming your husband uses an extra 20 gallons of water per day by shaving in the shower (that's probably a generous estimate?), your annual energy cost for the water heater goes up to $299.

Essentially, he's using an extra $6/month in energy costs in a very high water consumption scenario. It's likely to be less for just the two of you.

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/technologies/eep_waterheaters_calc.html

[bUU]

If you had to choose between him shaving in the shower, or shaving right after getting out of the shower, before drying off (since drying off would take enough time to close up his pores a bit), which would you prefer? Factor in your frustration about him getting water all over the bathroom floor, including the cost of slipping and falling every so often due to this.

[ua_guy]

If you had to choose between him shaving in the shower, or shaving right after getting out of the shower, before drying off (since drying off would take enough time to close up his pores a bit), which would you prefer? Factor in your frustration about him getting water all over the bathroom floor, including the cost of slipping and falling every so often due to this.

We're giving the OP's husband the benefit of the doubt that he should/can be trusted with a razor in the first place.

[bjl584]

From the information that I have been able to find, it costs around 2 cents to heat a gallon of water using natural gas.

[J.Apple902]

a part of me laughs at this. water is so so cheap, it's not worth the argument. sure it might be a "waste of water", but I'm sure all of us could find a way to be more sustainable. If he enjoys shaving in the shower, so be it. I think your energy could be best used in another battle. cheers.