A WaterSense showerhead could save an average family over 330 kWh a year

Fill a one-gallon container from your showerhead and time it: 60 divided by the seconds is its flow in gallons per minute (gpm). Under 30 seconds means the head runs above 2.0 gpm, and a WaterSense-labeled replacement runs at no more than 2.0 gpm. EPA WaterSense puts standard showerheads at 2.5 gpm and labeled ones at no more than 2.0 gpm, and says the average family could save 2,700 gallons of water and more than 330 kilowatt hours of electricity a year by installing them. A head that already takes 30 seconds or longer runs at 2.0 gpm or less, the WaterSense limit, so keep it. Renters and owners can both make the swap.

Showers draw on the water heater, about 18% of home energy

DOE's Energy Saver guide (2022) calls water heating the second largest energy expense in the home, typically about 18% of energy use. Of the four ways it lists to cut water heating bills, the first is to use less hot water, and its tips include installing aerating, low-flow faucets and showerheads. EPA's Shower Better page says showering accounts for nearly 17 percent of indoor water use, and that every shower also uses energy to heat the water to the showerhead. For the average family, the WaterSense showerhead page says that adds up to nearly 40 gallons a day.

Two other changes cost nothing. Turning down the water heater thermostat is the second of the four ways in DOE's 2022 guide, covered in setting the water heater to 120°F. Washing laundry in cold water is the other. Then measure the shower.

Time one gallon to find your flow

The test is free and takes about a minute. Use a bucket or jug with a one-gallon mark. Set the shower to the flow you normally use, hold the container so it catches all the spray, and time how long the water takes to reach the mark. Divide 60 by the seconds: 24 seconds is 60 ÷ 24 = 2.5 gpm, and 30 seconds is 60 ÷ 30 = 2.0 gpm. Fewer seconds means more gallons per minute.

Compare the result with two limits. The federal one is 2.5 gpm: 10 CFR 430.32(p) caps showerheads manufactured after January 1, 1994, at that flow, measured at a flowing pressure of 80 pounds per square inch (psi). The WaterSense one is 2.0 gpm, from the EPA showerhead page. Your bucket measures the flow at your own water pressure, which is the flow you actually use. Above 2.0 gpm, replace the head. At 2.0 gpm or less, keep it.

What the swap is worth on an electric bill

Example, with published figures. A head at the 2.5 gpm that EPA WaterSense calls standard fills a gallon in 60 ÷ 2.5 = 24 seconds; a labeled head at 2.0 gpm takes 60 ÷ 2.0 = 30 seconds. Every shower minute under the new head uses 2.5 − 2.0 = 0.5 gallon less. The same EPA page estimates the average family could save more than 330 kWh of electricity a year with WaterSense-labeled showerheads. The U.S. average residential price was 18.31 cents per kWh in July 2026, the latest month in EIA's Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (preliminary). At that price, 330 kWh × 18.31 cents = $60.42, so the more than 330 kWh EPA says an average family could save is worth more than $60 a year. For your own figure, use your state's row in the same EIA table, or divide your bill's dollars by its kWh; the method is the one used to price any appliance.

EPA gives no data year for its estimate; the WaterSense showerhead page was last updated March 3, 2026. EPA's Shower Better page puts energy and water together at more than $75 a year for the average family replacing just one showerhead.

The 330 kWh is electricity. DOE's 2022 guide lists natural gas, propane, fuel oil and electricity as fuels for storage water heaters. With a gas, propane or oil heater, the hot water a new head saves comes off that fuel's bill instead, and the kWh figure does not apply.

Swap the head yourself; a dripping valve goes to a licensed plumber

A new head is a small buy and a wrench job. EPA's Fix a Leak Week page says some leaky showerheads are fixed by making sure the connection between the head and the pipe stem is tight and securing it with pipe tape. The WaterSense showerhead page adds a tip: check, and if needed replace, the washer or O-ring inside the head. The same Fix a Leak Week page puts a showerhead leaking at 10 drips per minute at more than 500 gallons wasted a year.

Renters can make the same swap. Keep the old head and put it back before move-out. WaterSense notes (page last updated March 3, 2026) that in many areas, utilities offer rebates and vouchers that can lower the price of a labeled head; check your utility's own page for what it offers now.

EPA's Fix a Leak Week page sends more complicated valve leaks in showers that drip when not in use to an experienced handyperson or licensed plumber. If the shower still drips with the water off after the swap, call a licensed plumber and ask them to find and repair the leak.