Three or four baths a week?

[christonapushbike]

When we redid our bathroom we got a lovely big deep tub with the intention of using it as a nice treat approx once every 2-3 months. DSD enjoys using it 3-4 times a week and complains that her ensuite shower isn't usable as the pressure in her shower is 'too low' (its fine- not a power shower but totally usable!). Am I unreasonable to feel this is completely ungrateful attitude and an ensuite is a massive privilege (only she has one in our house) she spends up to 2 hours bathing in our bath and I've worked out each bath costs £3.50 in gas and water (it's 300 litre capacity). When challenged on why she refuses to use her own bathroom she just shrugs/ scowls. Her ensuite is a shower room with a toilet (no bath) for reference.

OP's maths is plausible.

The specific heat capacity of water is 4,200 Joules per kilogram degree centigrade. One litre of water is, of course, one kilo.

If you assume that the mains water coming in is 8 degrees and is heated to 40, then to heat up 300 litres of water by 32 degrees would require 300 x 4200 x 32 = 40,320,000 Joules of energy.

There are 3,600,000 Joules in a kilowatt hour (the unit we use for energy tarriffs - a watt is the consumption of one Joule per second) so the 40,320,000 Joules works out at 11.2kWh.

Current electricity price cap is 27.69p per kWh so that's just over £3.10 if 300 litres is heated using electricity.

United Utilities - other water companies are available - prices metered water at 0.475p per litre including foul charges. (Earlier I used 0.365 but that was the 2024/25 rate - thanks Google AI for getting it wrong and putting it as my top search result). So 300 litres on a UU meter would be £1.43.

The overall cost of a 300l bath in these circumstances is actually over £4.50 so assuming the bath isn't filled to the brim £3.50 is certainly in the right ballpark.

You must hate her and guess she.knows now.

If you tell me how big the bath is and what sort of system you have for heating your water I can calculate it!

(on a smart meter just look at the total before the hot water goes on for the bath and again as you run it)

I read books, write exams for my students. email etc. in the tub. Could be in there for 4 to 5 hours. My sanctuary from the world. OP, would you feel the same way if it was your own daughter as opposed to your step-daughter spending hours in the tub?

Bonkers.
poor child. Why on earth did you put it in??

Is OP heating with electric though?

Why did she get the en suite and not you as the couple of the house?

Yeah sorry op, i’m all for saving water and energy as i work in utilities, but you lost me at ‘she is only allowed to have 4 baths a year’

A gin and tonic with a bowl of crisps is the ultimate in bath time luxury - my kids gave me a bath shelf for mothers day to facilitate bath time snacks.

No child should have to be grateful for being allowed to bathe in their home.

You put a bath in to use as a treat every few months?!

I seem to be in the minority here as I think it’s a bit unreasonable to take over the family bathroom for up to two hours at a time when you have your own en-suite shower. Anyone having a bath for that long should check first that no one else needs to use the bathroom for quite some time.

Quite right too.

I also sometimes FaceTime from the bath. It sounds a bit echoey and you have to be careful where the iPad camera is pointing, but apart from that it’s great!

A shower is bathing , the bath is luxury for many people

Remove the tap when she stays over.

Tell her no more than one a week. Get a plumber to install a pump on her shower.

nailed it in the first post.

I usually have two baths every day. You are being totally unreasonable.

I admire your ability to explain this sort of math. We were never taught this in high school.

How petty are you working the cost! It’s only 3.50! Let her enjoy it

I have a lovely bath shelf too, the refilling of snacks needs to be discussed as I can be in there for a couple of hours, DH really is failing in this respect 🤣

Ideas for reducing bath occurances:

Shark
Pigeon spikes
Set the plumbing up to sound like a crying baby when the taps are on
Do a big poo at the times when she really wants to bathe
Train a crow to peck the bathroom window incessantly

I can spend hours in the bath, candles, lovely relaxing music, Prosecco in ice bucket by the side, good book... simple pleasures.

Who the fuck complains about someone having a bath a few times a week?
YABU and frankly being weird about it (yes i will repeat it for which ever snowflake reported my post for saying it in that one. get a life)

Get her a power shower if you're that bothered. it might be cheaper in the long run.