Could increasing shower pressure cut your water consumption? So suggests a study by a research team from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom.

The team installed sensors in 290 showers on university campus, enabling them to collect data on the duration of over 86,000 individual showers. The average duration of a shower was estimated at 6.7 minutes.

Based on the duration of each shower, the team was able to calculate the amount of water required for each use. The results revealed that high-pressure showers were associated with lower water consumption.

Overall, the team found that water consumption was reduced by up to 60% with high water pressure. It’s a surprising finding, given that opting for a low-pressure shower head is often presented as a more environmentally friendly solution.

One of the explanations advanced by the researchers in their preprint paper is that “people don’t just turn off their showers after a certain length of time, but rather people stop showering when they have achieved a particular experience”.

In other words, the satisfaction of a high-pressure shower could encourage people to spend less time under the spray.

Note that pressure should not be confused with flow rate: while the former refers to the force with which water is projected, the latter refers to the quantity of water delivered by the shower.

Study co-author Ian Walker told The Guardian that “while low flow-rate showers simply delivered less water than high flow-rate showers, high-pressure showers resulted in lower consumption because they were turned off sooner”.

The researchers also highlight the benefits of setting up a timer system to limit the duration of showers. “A smart timer helped reduce water consumption by up to 53% with middling water pressures,” they noted.

The authors found that participants’ shower length tended to increase over the weeks, regardless of the pressure. “Smart timers, however, helped stabilise or lower consumption over time, suggesting an anchoring effect.”

The scientists pointed out, however, that further research is needed to determine more precisely the link between increased shower pressure and reduced water consumption.

Also, as their findings, outlined in a preprint paper, have not yet been peer reviewed, the results should be interpreted with caution for the time being.