How much does a bath REALLY add to your bills?

As many as a third of people have stopped using baths to cut water and energy bills – and even shower users are trying to save money, research claims.

For those bath owners who still use their tub, almost half reported that they have reduced the amount they use it, according to a study by comparison firm Uswitch.

Two in five said they have reduced the amount of water that they fill their bath with, and an iron-willed 12 per cent report that they now take cold baths instead of hot ones.

The average household energy bill is currently £1,928 a year, falling to £1,690 from 1 April. 

Expensive habit: Almost half of people from Edinburgh no longer use their bath due to the cost

With energy prices still eating into peoples’ wallets, two in five have taken to reducing the length of their showers.

Consumers are now spending an average of just eight minutes in the shower – seven minutes for men and nine for women.

Around a quarter of shower users have also taken to cutting their usage by investing in energy-efficient shower nozzles, and by turning off hot water while shampooing their hair.

A considerable number, 21 per cent, even said they try to avoid using hot water at home by showering at the gym or at work.

People in Edinburgh prove the most likely to dodge the tub, with 49 per cent having stopped using their bath, with Sheffield the second highest at 37 per cent.

But in Belfast, only 15 per cent said they were willing to sacrifice their baths in order to save on energy costs.

But people from the Northern Irish city make up for it by taking short showers, at 6.8 minutes long, beaten only by people from Brighton who take 6.7 minutes on average.

Uswitch energy expert Ben Gallizzi said: ‘The energy crisis has changed the way we use energy – and a third of bath-owners have pulled the plug on soaking in the tub.

‘Baths require a lot more hot water than showers, meaning they’re a more expensive way of washing. Some consumers have continued taking baths during the energy crisis, but have reduced the amount of water they use to cut costs.’

How much does cutting out baths really save?

Big savings: Ben Gallizzi says energy efficient shower heads could save you money 

At current energy costs, an eight-minute shower, using a 7.5kW electric shower, will set you back 28p on average.

In April, with the introduction of the new price cap, this will fall to 24p.

The energy needed to heat the water to run an 80-litre bath at 42C, on the other hand, will cost you 81p, more than three times the cost of a shower.

An eight-minute shower using an electric shower will also use around 40 litres of water, half that required to fill a bath.

Over the course of a week, seven showers at eight minutes each will come in at a total of £1.96. If you switched two baths into your weekly routine and had showers on the five remaining days, your costs would rise by more than a third to £3.02.

In a year, having two baths per week will bring your costs to £157.04, compared with just £101.92 if you stick to showers.

With a gas boiler, showering costs would fall to 7p for eight minutes, and just 21p to run a bath, bringing your yearly totals to just £25.48 per year for a week of showers, and £40.04 if you treat yourself to two baths per week.

If you have a gas-heated bath and an electric shower, baths would prove the cheaper option, coming in 7p cheaper than the current cost of an eight-minute shower.

These figures don’t include the cost of water use, for those that are on a meter.  

Adding up: Cutting two minutes off the duration of your shower could save you as much as £25 over the course of a year

How can you make savings?

The possible savings that could be made by changing your washing habits might not be astronomical, but a little change can go a long way.

‘People wanting to save money in the shower could consider getting an energy-efficient shower head,’ Gallizzi told This is Money.

‘These reduce the amount of hot water you use, but will still make it feel like a strong shower.’

Gallizzi also recommends being mindful of how much hot water you use, as cold showers can prove a great energy-saving measure.

‘Using less hot water means you will save money on energy, but you will also save money on water bills if you are on a meter,’ he said.

‘Reducing the time spent showering is another way to save energy and water. Some people also save energy by turning the water off when they are shampooing their hair. Similarly, filling the bath with less water will cut down your energy and water usage.’

Even cutting the length of your shower by a couple of minutes can have a major impact, with a six-minute shower saving you around £25 per year compared to the cost of an eight-minute shower.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk