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WaterSense New Homes Pilot Is Key to Future Savings Testing the waters for EPA’s upcoming new homes labeling program
The WaterSense label is homeward bound. Soon new homebuyers will be able to identify water-efficient homes just by looking for the WaterSense label.
Seven builders from across the country will help EPA demonstrate its draft new homes labeling specification by building about 50 homes to meet the WaterSense new home draft water-efficiency criteria. Each builder will construct at least one home to the draft specification by December 2008 and provide feedback to help inform the specification and inspection process. Once the spec is finalized, EPA will invite builders around the country to join WaterSense and construct WaterSense labeled new homes.
Homes built during this pilot will be designed to save water inside and out. They will include WaterSense labeled toilets and faucets, ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers and dishwashers, and efficient plumbing systems, landscape design, and irrigation systems (if included in the new home package). Homeowner education is another important part of the new homes program. Builders must develop and provide homeowners with a manual that explains proper use of all water-using equipment or controls in the house and yard.
Builders and homeowners in the arid Southwest face water-efficiency challenges different from those in, say, the Northeast. That’s why EPA selected builders from a variety of climates to participate in the pilot:
Anderson Homes—Raleigh and Chapel Hill, North Carolina Aspen Homes of Colorado—Windsor, Colorado Cleantech Homes—Beverly, Massachusetts Dorn Homes—Tubac, Arizona GreenLife Homes LLC—West Olive, Michigan Nappier & Turner Construction Co., Inc.—Hendersonville, North Carolina Tim O’Brien Homes, Inc.—Waukesha, Wisconsin
EPA expects homes built to the draft standard to be about 20 percent more efficient than similar new homes, saving approximately 10,000 gallons of water per year. That’s enough to make buyers in today’s market click their heels and say, “There’s no place like a WaterSense labeled home.”
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How to Locate WaterSense Labeled Products
Having trouble finding WaterSense labeled products in stores near you? Don't panic! Follow these pointers to find and order WaterSense labeled plumbing fixtures:
Be Froogle. Visit Froogle, Google's product search engine, at http://www.google.com/products and search "WaterSense." You'll find a variety of WaterSense labeled toilets and faucets, which you can purchase with just a few clicks of the mous
Buy Locally. Visit a WaterSense retailer or distributor partner in your own backyard. Case-in-point: distributor Ferguson Enterprises, http://www.ferguson.com/index.shtml, has 1,500 service centers and six distribution centers across the United States and can usually ship products to customers within two to three business days. Start your research on WaterSense's Meet Our Partners page, http://www.epa.gov/watersense/partners/partners.htm.
Once you find your product, make sure you follow these tips:
Think Twice. Many high-efficiency toilets are sold in two parts. Make sure both the bowl and the tank are WaterSense labeled.
Get the Specs. If you're searching for a specific product, be sure you know the model name and number. You can find all the specifics on the Find a Product portion of the WaterSense Web site, http://www.epa.gov/watersense/pp/index.htm. Remember, for most toilets you'll need two numbers—one for the tank and one for the bowl.
Be Particular. WaterSense partner Kohler lets you refine your search for WaterSense labeled toilets by bowl shape, flushing technology, and compliance to the Americans With Disabilities Act. On Kohler's home page, http://www.us.kohler.com/index.jsp, select the drop down menu "Bathroom Products" and select "Toilets." From there you can limit your search to high-efficiency toilets with exactly the features you're looking for.
Remember, the best way to bring WaterSense labeled products to your neighborhood is to ask for them! Let retailers and distributors know that water-efficient products just make sense. |
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Every Drop Counts
Did you know that the average American uses 100 gallons of water every day? But we can all reduce our water use by as much as 30 percent by taking a few simple steps, such as installing high-efficiency plumbing fixtures and using water efficiently in our yards.
The Westford Water Department is committed to protecting the future of our national and local water supply through water-efficient practices, products, and services. That is why we are partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to bring to you WaterSense, a national program that offers people a simple way to make product choices that use less water—and perform as well or better than your existing products.
Why Should You Care?
Using water efficiently will conserve supplies for future generations.
Protecting and preserving the nation’s water supply is critical to our economic future and human health.
WaterSense labeled products and services offer equivalent or superior performance.
Purchasing WaterSense labeled products can help you protect the environment and help you save money on utility bills.
Test Your WaterSense
Think you know everything there is to know about water? You can’t be sure until you’ve played EPA’s new “Test Your WaterSense” online quiz! [www.epa.gov/watersense/quiz] Maneuver the hero Hydro through water pipes and answer water-efficiency questions while avoiding water-wasting monsters such as Sogosaurus and Drainiac.
WaterSense Labeled Products
Learn More
NEW WaterSense Labeled High-Efficiency Products Available!!!
Today, WaterSense provided consumers with a new way to identify high-performance, water-efficient products for their homes with the release of a final specification for bathroom sink faucets. Faucets that meet the specification will perform well while using about 30 percent less water than conventional models. To earn the WaterSense label, faucets must be independently tested and certified by a licensed certifying body to meet EPA's water efficiency and performance criteria. WaterSense labeled faucets and aerators cannot flow at a rate of more than 1.5 gallons per minute (gpm), or less than 0.8 gpm, while maintaining adequate pressure. Working with stakeholders, EPA chose a rate that ensures both water savings and that the faucet flow rate will continue to meet the needs of the user. Consumers can already find the WaterSense label on more than 60 high-efficiency toilets. WaterSense labeled toilets use 20 percent less water than standard models and are independently tested and certified to perform as well as or better than conventional models. Working with EPA, retailers are starting to feature WaterSense labeled toilets in their plumbing sections, and bathroom sink faucets should be close behind in early 2008. WaterSense labeled faucets not only save water, but they have the added benefit of saving energy used to treat, pump, and heat water. In fact, letting your faucet run for 5 minutes uses about as much energy as letting a 60-watt light bulb run for 14 hours. WaterSense, an EPA partnership program launched in 2006, seeks to enhance the market for water-efficient
products and services by building a national brand for water efficiency. If you have questions about joining WaterSense or labeling your product, please contact the WaterSense Helpline at (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) or e-mail watersense@epa.gov. |
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Shower Power: WaterSense Looks Ahead to Showerheads
Showering is one of the biggest uses of water in the home, representing approximately 17 percent of residential indoor water use, or more than 1.2 trillion gallons of water consumed in the United States each year. In the future, to raise consumer awareness and improve the water efficiency of showerheads, WaterSense intends to develop a specification for labeling water-efficient showerheads.
Once the specification is finalized, manufacturers will be able to apply for the WaterSense label for their water-efficient showerheads. Consumers who want to save water but don't want a wimpy shower will just have to look for the WaterSense label to find showerheads that save water without sacrificing performance.
As with all WaterSense labeled products, these showerheads will be independently tested and certified to perform as well as or better than conventional models, while saving precious water.
WaterSense Irrigation Services and Partners
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