Comfort & Water and Energy Savings: CSTB unveils the main results of a study conducted on four types of taps

This study, which combines technical and behavioral approaches, is structured around two components: an online survey of a representative panel of 1.000 French people about their showering habits and the equipment present in their homes, and a real-world experiment in which 40 participants took showers in a laboratory setting, testing different possible combinations of four faucets and two showerheads. The objective was to measure the impact of the different systems on water and energy consumption and on perceived comfort.

The main findings of the laboratory study

Overall, the study demonstrates superior benefits for thermostatic taps across various criteria that play a key role in comfort and water and energy savings:

A shorter initial water temperature setting time, demonstrating the ability of thermostatic taps to reduce water consumption more significantly, with an average of 5 to 7 liters less water per shower, compared to other systems.

Combined with a mixed water temperature that is on average 3°C lower, this shorter adjustment time also has a concrete impact on energy consumption.

In terms of comfort, the benefits are also greater. This is evidenced by the average adjustment time after a fluctuation in mains water pressure: with a thermostatic valve (as with a pressure-balancing valve), the user does not perceive any change in temperature.

Indeed, thanks to the presence of a thermostatic cartridge in the tap, the mixture of hot and cold water is instantly adjusted to maintain a stable temperature. This makes using the thermostatic mixer tap more comfortable and limits water waste and, by extension, energy savings.