Products that carry the WaterSense label have been tested and certified by a third party to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) water-efficacy guidelines. This means that certified products from faucets to showerheads to toilets perform better than models without the WaterSense label, by at least 20 percent. The goal of the label is to provide the individual consumer with a way to achieve notable water savings, as well as enabling water savings on a national level.
Showering typically accounts for about 17 percent of water used in the average home, adding up to around 30 gallons a day. As a result, targeting showerhead replacements makes sense -- and gets results. Most showerheads rain down 2.5 gallons of water per minute, but using showerheads with the WaterSense label assures reduced water use, typically using no more than 2 gallons of water per minute. As a result, implementing the use of water-saving WaterSense showerheads alleviates the burden on the central water supply. And over time, their use can encourage significant savings, decreasing water consumption in the home and resulting in lower water-heating costs, too
Run a simple test to find out how efficient your existing showerheads are. Place a 1-gallon bucket under the showerhead, and angle the head to stream water directly into the bucket. Fill the bucket with water. Use a timer to gauge how long it takes the bucket to fill. If it takes more than 24 seconds to fill a 1-gallon bucket, then your showerhead isn't very efficient.
Using WaterSense showerheads in your home is a great way to save money and offset the water burden on your community. For more information, contact Rodenhiser Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning. We serve the Route 495/128 area of Massachusetts.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.
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