Final answer:
By replacing their old 5-gallon-per-minute showerheads with 3-gallon-per-minute ones, each family member will save 300 gallons of water per month. For a family of four, this amounts to a total monthly saving of 1,200 gallons.
Step-by-step explanation:
Calculating Water Savings with New Showerheads
To calculate the water savings for the family, we need to consider the initial usage with the old 5-gallon-per-minute showerheads and the reduced usage with the new 3-gallon-per-minute showerheads. Each family member showers for 5 minutes a day. Over a 30-day month, the calculation would be as follows:
Old showerhead water usage per person per month:
5 gallons/minute x 5 minutes x 30 days = 750 gallons per month
New showerhead water usage per person per month:
3 gallons/minute x 5 minutes x 30 days = 450 gallons per month
Total savings per person per month = Old usage - New usage
750 gallons - 450 gallons = 300 gallons saved per month per person
Since there are four family members, we multiply the individual savings by four:
300 gallons/person/month x 4 people = 1,200 gallons saved per month
This reduction in water use is not only significant for the family's water bill but also contributes to conserving water and achieving better indoor water use efficiency, aligning with the goal of reducing the water footprint.