Our last Green Tip on conserving water talked about WaterSense toilets. This week we focus on WaterSense showerheads and faucets. When you are buying new fixtures, select those that use less water, certified as WaterSense, which means they “meet the EPA’s specifications for water efficiency and performance.” According to the EPA, such products “work as well or better than similar but less efficient products despite being 20% more water efficient.”
According to the EPA, “Showering is one of the leading ways we use water in the home, accounting for nearly 17 percent of residential indoor water use—for the average family, that adds up to nearly 40 gallons per day. That’s nearly 1.2 trillion gallons of water used in the United States annually just for showering, or enough to supply the water needs of New York and New Jersey for a year! By retrofitting your shower with a WaterSense-labeled showerhead, you can save a considerable amount of this water.” Standard showerheads use 2.5 gallons of water per minutes (gpm) while WaterSense-labeled showerheads use no more than 2 gallons but still show “water coverage and spray intensity” that is “equal to or better than” the conventional ones. By using such water-saving showerheads, an average family might save 2,700 gallons of water per year. Note: bathroom and kitchen faucets labeled WaterSense also reduce water flow while maintaining force and efficiency. For more information, go to epa.gov/watersense/watersense-label
