What Would You Say Your Shower Costs to Use Per Day and Cost Per Toilet Flush

AlienC on 25/03/2019 - 16:19
Last edited 25/03/2019 - 16:20

Forgot how to calculate the use of water but trying to find low medium and high estimates of basically using a shower once or twice per day including and excluding daily charge / supply charge fee cost.

Also what do you reckon an average flush costs.

I know this sounds silly but I like to work out how much each activity or action cost like my computer, monitor , lamp and fan altogether roughly maxes out at 320 watts for the computer setup alone including monitor then another 60 watts for the lamp and 50 watts say for the fan so 430 wants max for that setup.. Oh yeah 80 watts got the speakers so max 500 watts say.

I have no way of really measuring my dishwashing usage from the tap but showers have an average I presume say for a 5 or 8 minute shower.

What do you guys calculate your showers and toilet flushes to cost roughly.

Home & Garden

Comments

  • spackbace on 25/03/2019 - 16:23
    +21

    A small enough amount that I'm not going to sacrifice my body odour, or the bathroom smells, for the sake of the saving.

  • iforgotmysocks on 25/03/2019 - 16:26
    +3

    Some bowel movements are more expensive than others to flush

    • Diji1 on 25/03/2019 - 17:40

      You don't want to be coming back after you flush once, things can get nasty.

      • [Deactivated] on 27/03/2019 - 11:58
        +1

        No kidding! I have no problem with OP not flushing their toilet at all! But please don't save money on your daily showers for f—- sake! And changing your clothes at least once a day.

  • hamza23 on 25/03/2019 - 16:45
    +6

    SA water is $2.36/KL which is $2.36/1000L. Dual flush toilet uses about 5L of water for normal flush (from google search). So I believe that is $0.0118 per flush. Just over 1 cent.

    • jason101 on 25/03/2019 - 16:50
      +1

      I got all excited when you quoted 1.76per KL, then realised you quoted from the Charitable / Church pricing page. $3.652 per Kl is the typical residential rate (3rd tier)

      • hamza23 on 25/03/2019 - 16:54
        +1

        Oops thanks, just fixed it up (I used tier 1 residential though, $2.362/KL first 0.3288KL per day).

    • Diji1 on 25/03/2019 - 17:50
      -5

      SA Water is corporatised which means they created a 100% Government owned business entity and put CEOs and a board in charge of it. To replace a Government department with no issues except water wasn't being used to rip people off.

      Which is a joke. People from the corporate world, where ensuring the next three months profits is the most important thing just behind ripping off all the investors as hard as possible, are not the right people for the job.

      Why in the name of all (profanity) are these vampires in charge of a Government monopoly? The correct people to be overseeing water are public servants and there was no reason at all to rip off the people of SA. Other than being a neoconservative extremist who substitutes imagination for reality - or you just got paid to create a situation like this.

  • [Deactivated] on 25/03/2019 - 16:47
    +1

    Most shower heads have flow rate of 9 - 12 litres pet minute (call it 10L for simplicity). In WA Water costs around $5/1000 litres or .5c a litre. So the shower costs about 5c/min.

    • AlienC on 25/03/2019 - 16:56

      So a 10 min shower uses roughly 10 x 12L (for a typical residential shower head).

      (120 / 1000) * 5 = 0.60

      So rightly 60 cents for a 10 min shower?

      Is that correct something there does not seem correct.

      This is obviously without daily supply charge.

      Is heating calculated separately.

      How much would a hot 10 minute shower cost roughly.

      • [Deactivated] on 25/03/2019 - 17:07

        Sorry I was going off the top of my head for water it's actually $1.58/Kl.

        Yes that does not include heating, daily supply, sewerage etc.

        • ozbjunkie on 26/03/2019 - 11:15

          I saved $1 this morning.

          And then spent 15c on deodorant.

      • abb on 27/03/2019 - 14:25
        +1

        Is heating calculated separately.

        Dude…

        Yes. Heat is energy, from your gas/solar/electric hot water system. There is no hot water pipe coming into your house from the street. The energy cost is a major factor in the "what's the marginal cost of a shower" equation unless you're using 100% solar heated water.

  • GG57 on 25/03/2019 - 16:48

    I used Google, and found this:
    https://www.hunterwater.com.au/Save-Water/Water-Usage-Calcul…

    I couldn't be bothered going through each page but it might help.

  • skid on 25/03/2019 - 16:54

    I take 3 minute showers and they cost $0.13 for water and $0.13 for gas, excluding the daily supply charges.

    • AlienC on 25/03/2019 - 17:06

      Is the gas usage directly linear proportionate so 10 minutes of water is the same cost as 10 minutes of gas?

      • skid on 25/03/2019 - 17:13

        No, the gas usage is based on the temperature of the water. My showers are 40'C.

        • AlienC on 25/03/2019 - 17:17

          Do you know what the default is?

          Or what yours was set at previously?

          • skid on 25/03/2019 - 17:20

            @AlienC: Default is 50'C. I don't have the stats for that, sorry.

  • pantsparty on 25/03/2019 - 17:00
    +16

    You post pointless questions on here very very frequently. I think you need to work on your self research skills. No need to rely on Ozbargain for every thought you have. It is time to start wearing your big boy pants!

  • AlienC on 25/03/2019 - 17:28
    -8

    Some really good answers so far and some er we'll interesting responses lol from the forum police.

    Might have to reword some future posts me thinks or go incognito or maybe take it to whirlpool :)

    I think what I got from all this info so far is cost and overall usage in relation to flushing is close to nothing.

    Maybe less than 100L per day if even if you are ill and have to go 20 times in one day.

    Showers on the other hand much more impact on all bills especially if there is a lot of heating involved.

    Trying to figure out a good middle ground as always and in general I just like to know all the stats and costs and info involved.

    Sorry if this post triggered anyone for whatever reason (still confuses my mind but I get it gotta keep the forums clean of useless posts and information I just thought some people might find this relevant)

    Ah well can't please them all.

    If you still got more specific exact info on your shower/toilet usage and costs please let us all know.

    Some of us might be interested and the others can easily go somewhere else there are new discussions requiring your help and attention every day.

  • [Deactivated] on 25/03/2019 - 17:35

    My usage fees are nothing compared to ridiculous charges in the water bill like the Parks Charge 0.460 cents per dollar of NAV per year.

    • AlienC on 25/03/2019 - 17:55

      What does this mean when do the parks charge you?

      What is NAV

      • [Deactivated] on 25/03/2019 - 18:01

        Net Asset Value of your home. My usage is a drop in the ocean of desalination infrastructure fees and parks charges and other flagfall costs. The upside is I shower like a boss because actual water usage costs are incidentals.

        • AlienC on 25/03/2019 - 18:34

          Oh yeah definitely at that level any shower and shower related costs would be miniscule compared to other more major costs.

          But if you had to give a value to each shower or even flush how much would you reckon the average cost was per shower and per flush.

          I know many people living day to day having to decide weather to get a meal or meal with a drink.

          It is pretty tough so I was curious how much my own shower or even flush was compared to others and overall for me personally the bigger picture.

  • hawkeye on 25/03/2019 - 18:32

    My rates wastewater chargers where $290.08 August last year for 90 days That's $3.20 to back one out every day and dispose of shower water.

    • AlienC on 25/03/2019 - 18:37
      -4

      Do you have a daily charge or is it just a rate for total usage.

      Also do you have a time period charge or amount tier so say you shower in the middle of the night it might be cheaper than showering in the middle of the day or after certain usage the rate drops or increases.

      Basically trying to get a feel of the cost of individual actions with and without daily charges and whatnot.

      Trying to isolate the charge information as much at I can.

      Deduce the real accurate costs I guess.

      • hawkeye on 25/03/2019 - 18:50

        Total use neighbours bill would be the same unless they had more crappers in the house but they would be entitled to unlimited crapping for a set price and unlimited waste water.
        looking down the page break down
        Water services charge res $74.80
        Wastewater sewerage $176.60
        Water consumption $38.68

        So that's a supply and dump price the only thing that's missing is the power cost to heat the washing water.

        • [Deactivated] on 26/03/2019 - 00:06

          Does suck when your drainage/sewerage is 4.5 times the water.

  • c0balt on 25/03/2019 - 18:44

    Just look at your water meter before and after you have a shower or do the dishes and don't use any other water in that time.

    Have you not thought of this? Have you seriously spent all that time measuring the flow rates of your different taps, but never thought to just look at the friggin meter over a period of time?!?

    • AlienC on 25/03/2019 - 18:47

      So many people in my household I wouldn't be able to be 100 percent sure it was isolated usage unless I did it in the middle of the night.

      Currently 5 guys under one roof atm lol.

      But it is a good idea and honestly been so busy I have not thought about this.

      I feel like some knowledge keeps falling out and replaced with either more irrelevant or useless crap day by day.

      My cup is very much full atm but can't afford to stop moving / learning.

      • c0balt on 25/03/2019 - 18:50

        No, fair enough I get that. "I feel like some knowledge keeps falling out and replaced with either more irrelevant or useless crap day by day." - that's me too.

        To measure toilet cistern capacity - look at water level in cistern. Close valve leading to cistern from the mains. Flush toilet. Fill up cistern with a water jug and see how much it needs for half/full flush.

        • AlienC on 25/03/2019 - 18:52

          That's a good idea I might try that.

  • whooah1979 on 25/03/2019 - 19:30
    +1

    The bills come and we pay it. Working out how much each activity costs isn't worth our time.

  • chumlee on 25/03/2019 - 19:51

    How much is your time worth?

    • AlienC on 26/03/2019 - 06:24
      +1

      No idea but this is just research for me for something bigger.

      Also curiosity.

      Not really a money saving tactic more so an environmental one.

      But yeah I am just curious about very trivial things not many people have the answer to or talk about much.

      It's a bad habit I suppose always wanting to know more.

      • Speckled Jim on 26/03/2019 - 07:56
        +1

        Curiosity is never a bad habit. Unless we're talking about that cat.

      • chumlee on 26/03/2019 - 08:11

        Allow a margin of error though as different shower heads and toilets have different water flow rates.

        Worth investigating if you can replace things at no cost under state government environmental schemes.

      • outlander on 26/03/2019 - 09:40

        Not a bad habit. Its true that the effort involved in working it out will cost more than any potential savings that result from it. But it does train yourself to look at things at a more indepth level, which as a skill is very useful, and potentially highly profitable.

      • callum9999 on 27/03/2019 - 12:32
        +2

        It can't be for "environmental reasons" - you already know the answer to that. No matter how much you use, use less!

  • outlander on 25/03/2019 - 20:16
    +2

    Yeah, I've gone through this phase. I worked out what everything cost, and attached a label to those things so I could get an idea of what they consumed, so I could get a better idea of where the money was going.

    From memory, a flush of a toilet costs 0.5cents, a shower costs 8c a minute (including the power to heat the water), a washing machine uses 60L of water (a big factor in pushing me to get a frontloader. The last washing machine used 150l!), a dishwasher was surprisingly low at 12L but consumes lots of energy. etc etc

    To measure water consumption, you get a bucket with measuring notches on the side, hold it under the shower head for 60 seconds, and then see how much is there. Then times that by the average shower length (5-10min). Toilets, you do the opporsite. You turn the cistern off, flush the toilet, fill a bucket with water, tip it into the cystern, and whatever was poured out is what it takes to flush the toilet.

    Something important that I rarely ever see mentioned when it comes to the cost of water, is the sewage charge. See, you pay to bring water into your house, and then you pay again when it leaves. The sewage charge is based on the water consumed. So water is never really 2.30 per KL. Its closer to $5.

  • Ozpit on 26/03/2019 - 09:55
    +5

    Great thread. While all you guys have your calculators out, what do you reckon it costs to brush your teeth in the morning? Just the rough cost. And also the cost of opening a fridge door and just looking in; you know, not taking anything out, just having a look, then shutting the door?

    I’m with the OP on this topic; all these little things are part of the thousands of daily expenses that all add up to the considerable cost of living. And being an OZB, I too want a full breakdown of where every cent of my money is going.

    • callum9999 on 27/03/2019 - 12:34
      +1

      Brushing your teeth depends on how wasteful you are. If you don't leave the tap running then it will be a negligible amount of water.

      Why so many leave it running I'll never understand. It's the ultimate level of laziness!

    • abb on 27/03/2019 - 14:32
      +1

      And also the cost of opening a fridge door and just looking in; you know, not taking anything out, just having a look, then shutting the door?

      This is inversely proportional to how much high-thermal-mass cold stuff you have in the fridge. In other words, keep the fridge well-stocked with your choice of beverage, purely for electricity saving reasons ;)

      It would be pretty easy to estimate the actual number if you really want to, take the volume of the fridge and assume it's all replaced by room temperature air, take the difference between fridge temp and air temp and multiply by the heat capacity, efficiency of the fridge, and electricity cost. Finding these factors is left as an exercise for the reader.

      • AlienC on 31/03/2019 - 08:35

        I was never good at exercises probably why I left school

  • ozbjunkie on 26/03/2019 - 11:17
    +2

    How much did it cost everyone to read this thread? If you did it at work, how much did you make while reading this thread? I lost $3 which apparently is 3 to 10 showers depending on the time showered, temperature, and of course supply and usage charges.

    • AlienC on 26/03/2019 - 14:07
      -1

      LOL haha this has got to be my comment of the day.. thanks you ozbjunkie

      for what its worth I found peace after the madness in this video

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM02vNMRRB0

      sorry again all lol

      my megalomania has weird ways of revealing and showing itself

      • ozbjunkie on 26/03/2019 - 19:27

        I aim to please!

        But you owe me a lot of money for watching that video. I lost my job… and also my girlfriend.

        Well, maybe you saved me money in the long run.

        Let's call it even then.

        • AlienC on 26/03/2019 - 19:42

          But did you find Jesus?

          That is the main question.

          • ozbjunkie on 27/03/2019 - 00:16

            @AlienC: I found him in the history books. He was this Jewish apothecary from several thousand years ago who went rogue on the establishment and ride into down on a donkey before screaming f tha police was a thing. Listed in textbooks as the first known medical case of a Messiah complex. Short guy. Arab looking.

            • AlienC on 27/03/2019 - 01:21

              @ozbjunkie: Oof sounds like he was a scary guy.

              I wouldn't want to meet him not if my life depended on it.

              • Ozpit on 27/03/2019 - 09:53
                -1

                @AlienC: Well, you will meet him, and your life won’t depend on it because he’ll have forgiven you of everything, including what you just said. Oh, and you won’t be scared anymore. Sorry, can’t comment on what he looks like, but there’ll be no mistaking him.

                • AlienC on 31/03/2019 - 08:34

                  @Ozpit: Tall guy huge beard wears long robes.. Yeah I know some of those guys but they weren't called Jesus

  • greywise on 26/03/2019 - 14:47
    +1

    Since I changes all my toilets from old old ones to new ones (I assume water saving),
    it requires the brush as well as much more water.

    I assume the force of flush was stronger with the old ones.

    • AlienC on 26/03/2019 - 19:43

      The new toilets definitely feel like they have a more stronger or concentrated/focused flush compared to old ones but only based on noise and impact/vibrations felt.

      Have not read into it but I switch between a toilet that was probably put in this house when I was like 5 and one put in only a few years ago and teh difference is sometimes night and day (Depending on how sleepy I am)

  • dlakers3peat on 27/03/2019 - 13:44
    +1

    Who cares? Get a life

    • AlienC on 31/03/2019 - 08:33

      Ozb is my.. Yeah I should get a life

  • brendanm on 27/03/2019 - 14:57
    +2

    Who cares. If its a necessity, you use it.

    • AlienC on 31/03/2019 - 08:33

      Just curious like how much it costs to run a computer or heater in winter

      • brendanm on 31/03/2019 - 09:10
        +2

        Who cares? I leave my computer running 24/7 because it's convenient. You can figure it out from what the power supply is rates for for a worst case scenario if you are really worried. Use the heater if its cold, do you really want to be miserable to save a couple of bucks.

        Are you going to go to the toilet less, or shower less to save $2? I would hope not, water is cheap, use them when you need them. If you had been working instead of creating and replying to this thread, you could have earnt enough money to cover your shower and toilet costs for the year, or at least the quarter.

        • AlienC on 31/03/2019 - 22:01

          Ultimately it is not just about the money.

          I am the kind of person that sometimes turns off things just for wear and tear sake.

          I know how ridiculous that sounds but deep down sometimes I can't shake off how much we as a population waste consuming but then there are times where it doesn't enter my mind.

          Housemates have just been making a big deal over little things so this thread popped up because essentially we have some freeloaders that come every now and then.

          It's complicated but yeah I got enough harassment that forced me to make this to get some ammo.

  • Duram on 27/03/2019 - 15:31
    +1

    OP are you going to start charging your room mates based on how many showers they have?

    • AlienC on 31/03/2019 - 08:31
      +1

      50 cents a shower an extra 19 cents if it is hot

  • crentist on 27/03/2019 - 16:24

    toilets absolutely free. just stock up on plastic bags from coles self serve. grab some catalogues to wipe

    • AlienC on 31/03/2019 - 08:32

      The plumber fee might cost more in the end

  • SoapyWooder on 27/03/2019 - 16:25

    And I thought I'm already cheap

    • AlienC on 31/03/2019 - 08:32

      Always a cheaper fish

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