After a difficult year and a half, many of us are looking for new ways to save money, especially as winter nears. With Christmas presents to buy and rising energy bills to pay for, every penny counts. You may feel like you’ve exhausted every cost-saving strategy, but have you tried minimising your toilet paper budget?
While the cost of a toilet paper pack may not seem like much, it adds up over time. An average Brit uses 127 rolls each year, and for a family of four using ply-3, this can cost up to £274.32 annually.
Many consider toilet paper as an essential purchase that they can’t go without. However, replacing a standard toilet with a smart toilet eliminates the need for toilet paper altogether. But how do the running costs of smart toilets compare and will you see a significant saving?
The team at Washloo has analysed the cost of toilet paper across the ‘big four’ supermarkets and popular toilet paper brands to find the average price for a household of four. We also compared this to the water costs of using smart toilets to wash yourself after going to the toilet.
To find out how installing a smart toilet will impact your long-term budget, continue reading.
Smart Toilets Vs Toilet Roll Annual Costs
A year’s worth of 3-ply toilet paper for a household of four can cost between £172.72 and £314.96, depending on the shop and brand. Our research found that the average cost equates to £274.32.
However, in comparison, the yearly water costs of a smart toilet, which rinses the user with water after going to the toilet, is just £4.46 for one person and £17.84 for four people.
Using a smart toilet makes toilet paper unnecessary, eliminating the expense completely, and saving families an estimated £256.48 each year.
Making Environmental Changes With A Smart Toilet
Using Japanese smart toilets has more benefits than just cost-savings, however. As well as removing the need for costly toilet roll paper purchases, using a smart toilet has a very positive effect on your household’s environmental impact too.
According to research, roughly 37 gallons of water are used to produce a single roll of toilet paper, while only one-eighth of a gallon is used per smart toilet wash.
The Nation’s Favourite Toilet Paper
A previous study revealed that Andrex is the nation’s favourite toilet paper, closely followed by Cushelle and Tesco’s own brand.
Savvy shoppers looking to save on their preferred brand will find that Andrex Classic is cheapest at Asda, for 0.42p a roll but most expensive at Tesco, equating to 0.55p a roll. The Andrex Supreme Quilted option is most expensive at Morrisons, for 0.62p a roll, compared to 0.69p in the remaining supermarkets from the ‘big four’.
Those opting for own brand over Andrex could see a saving of almost £50 at Tesco. A 9-pack of Tesco Original Rolls come in at £167.64, while the cheapest Andrex pack available would set families of four back £213.36. However, the Cushelle original toilet paper is also available at Tesco for 0.39p.
Alex Evans, Founder of Washloo, said: “We’d all like to find household cost-savings, especially after a tough year and a half. Toilet paper might not seem like a huge expense, but it adds up, and using a smart toilet instead can dramatically reduce the cost and make your budget a lot easier to manage.
“Families could use the savings found in this research for Christmas presents, additional supermarket shops, or just to help pay the bills.
“Smart toilets are a great way to cut down on toilet roll usage and long-term costs. Ultimately, investing in a smart toilet or smart toilet helps you save a penny every time you spend a penny.
“You might be surprised by how many benefits you get from smart toilets and smart toilets. Once you’ve experienced the cleanliness and comfort of smart toilets, it’s hard to go back to the old toilet paper ways.
“Even if you can’t make the change to a smart toilet, you can still lessen your toilet paper spending by opting for cheaper brands or shopping around at different supermarkets.”
Taking away the cost of constant paper can help your household save each year, without altering the comfort of your daily bathroom routine.
