Many people, whether environmentally concerned or economically concerned, may ask themselves this question, 'how do I save water'? There are the obvious methods such as, stop washing, stop doing the laundry, stop cleaning the dishes, stop watering the garden, drink alcohol instead; techniques many of us adhere to during our student years. However, recent studies have proven that it is possible to save water AND maintain personal hygiene.

It may surprise you to know that we use on average 150 litres of water a day, most of which we don't even notice we are using.

• Flushing the toilet alone uses 8/9 litres, so that in itself can easily add up to at least 27 litres a day.
• A shower a day can account for another 30 litres used, a bath is three times that much.
• You can waste 9 litres simply by leaving the tap running while brushing your teeth.

Help, my water pressure is low and is spoiling my daily shower!

What are the causes of low water pressure and why does it impact on the flow of water to the shower?

The answer in many cases is gravity. When water is stored in the loft it is from here that water pressure is enabled to all the taps in the property and if someone else turns on a tap while you are in the shower, you know what it's like your all sudded up and then suddenly the water turns to a trickle leaving you to shout oi, switch that tap off!

Remember the water pressure supplied to your home may also be affected by demand and the size of the pipes that make up your internal plumbing. In the case of homes with a combi boiler the pressure supply must meet a minimum requirement to enable the boiler to function properly as the boiler will supply the hot water taps in the home and thus the shower pressure.

You will have come across the view that a shower is a more water efficient way to wash than taking a bath... but that's not always true in real world scenarios. While a speedy shower is more often than not more water efficient than a bath, a number of high-volume showers will use more in five minutes than it does to run a bath.

Aside from how long you spend in the shower, the volume of water you consume depends on the type of shower you have, and the shower head attached.

What is a low flow shower head?

Ecocamel's low flow shower heads: Air is bubbled in with the water, reducing the amount of water used but allowing a soft bubbly flow without any loss of water pressure.

I wanna hold your... haaaaand

Oh really... what has a Beatles song got to do with hand held showers? Ok... you spotted it... a weak link; seriously though, what makes a hand held shower head so important? Well! It’s that old chestnut, to spray or not to spray, that is the question? And what is the perfect spray from a hand held shower head?

Hand held shower heads come in all shapes and sizes, the hand piece often has a rubber grip, with the body of the shower head typically plastic or light weight metal. Interestingly none of these facts help the dynamic performance of the handheld shower head, they are there to make the hand held shower head look good, no, it’s the bits inside that decide on the efficiency of the shower head and whether you are bathed in spray with a refreshing pulse or shaking the hand piece furiously trying to extract some water from within.

What causes low water pressure in my shower?

Low water pressure usually results when you've been forced to turn on two different plumbing fixtures at the same time, whether they are the outside garden hose, the kitchen/bathroom sink, the toilet, or even the shower. Although your water pressure may be sufficient when only one fixture is operational, you'll definitely notice a drop in water flow when the second fixture comes into use.

In most cases low water pressure affects you in many other areas around the house. If low water pressure is affecting only your shower head, you should check for an obstruction in the shower head or see if your shower head has a water conservation filter installed.

Otherwise when demand for water is high (such as in the morning or early evenings) pressure can be lower than during the rest of the day. There can also be problems during dry spells when people use hosepipes or sprinklers to water their gardens.

Other causes of low pressure can include:

• Inadequate pumping facilities
• Water mains that are too small
• Reduced pressure from the water main as a result of leakage, equipment failures or blocked service pipes