In recent years, more and more environmentally friendly choices have emerged as viable options for your residential projects, especially in the important area of water conservation. In addition to an increase in green product choices available by manufacturers —particularly in faucets, toilets and showerheads — green building has gained traction and national attention by organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The EPA’s WaterSense® program helps educate home owners about water saving initiatives and products. As you build your specification list, consider using WaterSense-approved products. Here are a few tips on what to look for in green fixtures:
Toilets
These fixtures account for nearly 30% of an average home’s water consumption, so it’s clearly a great place to start when looking to conserve. That being said, no one wants to sacrifice flushing performance when it comes to a toilet. Luckily, with today’s technology, toilets can both perform well and help save this precious natural resource.
Faucets
Households in the U.S. see more than a trillion gallons of water flow through their faucets each year. While you can’t force someone to turn off the tap while they brush their teeth (which would save two gallons of water each time they brush!), you can help by specifying a faucet that can save water when they do have the tap on.
Look for faucets that operate at 1.5 gallons per minute to give you the best combination of performance and water savings.
Showerheads
Showerhead certification is one of the WaterSense program’s newest additions – and for good reason. Building professionals and home owners alike are skeptical of a head that can operate at a lower water flow, yet deliver the comforting shower experience we all expect. WaterSense labeled showerheads guarantee both.
Look for showerheads that use technology to boost a product’s performance even at low water pressure or lower flow rates: heads that perform well at 2.0 gpm, 1.75 gpm and even 1.5 gpm.
While most builders and home owners focus on the water savings impact green fixtures have on the environment, many don’t realize the cost savings and electrical efficiency that comes with them.