Energy Jerk #2: Go take a cold shower

When it’s cold outside, unless I am under extreme time duress, I can’t help myself from being an “energy hogging jerk” by drastically abusing rule number two: taking really long hot showers.

As discussed before, I hate taking showers due to the time consuming rites and rituals that are involved with being a girl. Shaving, exfoliating, body lotions, blow-drying, ugh... With so many unpleasant parts of the bathing process, I try going to enjoy the parts of it that I can, i.e. feeling as warm as possible, for as long as possible, under a hot cascade of water. During the winter, it seems like any time of day, taking off your warm clothing and getting in the shower is an assault to the senses. Being cold is such an unpleasant feeling… but the worst part is getting out of the shower and standing dripping wet and shivering. (Hopefully NOT underneath or near an air-blowing vent.) To stave off the inevitable shivering bout, I of course put off this worst part of an evil shower for as long as possible… I mean talk about an unhapy ending!

However, I didn’t fully realize before that by prolonging my warm showers, I was being a jerk too? (Like my grandmother always says about the theme of Harry Potter, "evil" is contagious… figures that instead of the shower cleansing me like its meant to, it just makes me as evil as it is. Get thee behind me, shower.)

Here’s the expert’s take:

A long hot shower may be a small luxury, but those extra minutes spent
escaping with your thoughts under the body-warming water stream can quickly earn you some icy glares. For starters, hot-water tanks are finite and nobody enjoys a cold shower. What's more, hot-water heaters account for about 15 percent of an average home's energy bills, according to the Alliance to Save Energy.

Try to limit yourself to five minute showers to make your housemates and bank
accounts happy. If that doesn't work, at least invest in a low-flow shower head,
Rogers said. Another option is a so-called tankless water heater. These
appliances generate a continuous stream of hot water when they are on –i.e. the
hot water doesn't run out – and when the hot water is turned off, it is off. The
devices do cost more than a tank, but tend to last longer and consume less
energy so they pay for themselves in a few years.

I feel like in a fluffy way—the point is made: take shorter showers; the less water used, the better. This one sounds easier in theory than it may be in actuality, but I’m willing to give it a try. I guess on the bright side, less time in the shower means more time and money to spend on the après-shower routine… (Which is good, because rubbing a rose on my face alone takes at least 40 minutes.)