SHOWER
10 minutes daily
Emissions
490
kg CO2e
FOLLOW OUR CALCULATION
Click the expendable headlines to look at each step of the calculation.
To calculate the greenhouse gas emissions, we have made the following assumptions and used the following data:
- Water is heated using an electric boiler
- Water consumption of shower head: 12 liters per minute
- Water temperature of incoming water (before heating): 13°C
- Water temperature of shower water: 39°C
- Energy required for heating water: 0.004184 MJ per liter per degree
- Emissions from the average electricity mix in the USA: 102 g CO2e per MJ (source: Ember’s Yearly Electricity Data, refers to the year 2022)
The total amount of water consumed in a year is calculated by multiplying the water consumption by the shower time and the number of days in a year.
12 liters per minute × 10 minutes per day × 365 days per year = 43 800 liters per year
The calculation shows that 43 800 liters of water are used per year.
The energy required to heat 43 800 liters of water from 13°C to 39°C is calculated by multiplying the energy requirement to heat one liter of water by one degree with the number of degrees the water needs to be heated and the total amount of water. The water needs to be heated by 26 degrees (39°C − 13°C = 26°C).
0.004184 MJ per liter per degree × 26 degrees × 43 800 liters per year ≈ 4 765 MJ per year
The calculation shows that 4 765 MJ per year (in the form of electricity) is required to heat the water.
The greenhouse gas emissions are calculated by multiplying the total energy requirement by the emissions of greenhouse gases from heating water using an electric boiler.
4 765 MJ per year × 102 g CO2e per MJ ≈ 486 kg CO2e per year
The calculation shows that the emissions amount to 486 kg CO2e, which has been rounded to 490 kg CO2e on the card.
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