Water is a precious resource that we often take for granted, particularly when it comes to showering. One of the most effective water saving methods is to shower rather than taking a bath but new shower technology means that some showers use more water in 2 minutes than the average bath. New research released today investigates just how long we think we spend in the shower compared to how long we actually spend.

Water accounts for a quarter of energy use in homes and our current daily water consumption of 150 litres is not sustainable.

Water used in the bathroom amounts to a third of our daily water consumption and new ICM research commissioned by Waterwise on behalf of 12 UK water companies reveals our personal shower habits. It seems despite the age old myth that women take ages in the shower, the average woman spends just 39 seconds longer in the shower than men, with a mean shower time for women of 10 mins 40 secs compared to 10 mins 1 sec for men.

The research also shows that older people are winning the shorter shower race with well over a third (39%) of those aged 55 or over showering in five minutes or less.

So just who are the winners and losers of the shorter shower race?