By Debbie Arrington
Guest Writer
How can you save hundreds of gallons of water around your home every day? Take advantage of current technology and upgrade water-using fixtures and appliances to more efficient models.
“It’s the easiest way to save,” says Greg Bundesen, Water Conservation Supervisor for Sacramento Suburban Water District. “Just changing out fixtures, you can make a huge difference.”
When upgrading, look for the WaterSense label. It assures that product will be at least 20 percent more efficient than its conventional equivalent.
WaterSense is a national program designed to make it simple to buy high-efficiency products. Similar to the EnergyStar program, WaterSense uses independent product testing to determine a fixture’s water needs. That information is clearly labeled on toilets, faucets, showerheads and nozzles. Started in 2006 to evaluate low-flow fixtures, WaterSense also now certifies irrigation specialists and even whole new homes built to the highest efficiency standards.
Savings aren’t just in water but energy and money, too. It takes a lot of electricity or gas to purify, move and heat water; using less water automatically lowers those expenses, too.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense fixtures helped save 5.3 trillion gallons of water and 603 billion kilowatt hours of electricity between 2006 and 2020. And those savings keep adding up. Just one WaterSense showerhead can save 2,900 gallons a year plus an estimated $70 in utility bills, the EPA says.
WaterSense estimates that the average home can save more than $350 a year in water and energy costs by upgrading to high-efficiency fixtures and appliances.
Innovations in plumbing technology have created huge gains in home water efficiency, Bundesen notes. If your toilets are more than 20 years old, it’s likely time for a change.
For most homes, toilets are the biggest indoor-water users, representing 26 percent of all indoor water use. According to plumbing research, the average person flushes 5.1 times a day. Multiply that by family members and the number of toilets in your home. It’s easy to see: Potential toilet savings quickly add up.
Toilets installed before 1980 often used 5 gallons per flush. That standard was lowered to 3.5 gallons, then 1.6 gallons per flush (GPF). Today’s high-efficiency toilets need 1.28 GPF or less; the best require only 0.8 gallons.
“That’s less than a gallon compared to three or five,” Bundesen says. “The technology has evolved over time. These products continue to get better and better.”
Swapping out a 3.5 GPF toilet for a 1.28 GPF high-efficiency model adds up to 4,600 gallons in annual water savings, Bundesen notes. “That’s quite a lot of water savings.”
Washing machines account for almost 22 percent of indoor water use; high-efficiency models also represent huge potential savings. (High-efficiency washers are part of the EnergyStar program.)
“You can save a tremendous amount of both water and energy,” he says. “An older front-loader uses 39 to 40 gallons per load; a top loader, 30 to 40 gallons. High-efficiency washers use only 13 or 14 gallons per load.”
Little changes can add up to huge savings outdoors, too, adds Bundesen. Take sprinkler heads, another WaterSense-rated product.
“More than 50 percent of (outdoor) water use is wasted due to inefficiency and irrigation methods,” he explains. “Increasing the efficiency with WaterSense-labeled sprinkler heads can save the average home 5,600 gallons per year. If everyone changed out their sprinkler heads, we could save 31 billion gallons nationwide annually – just with that one little change.”
WaterSense offers a home water-use calculator to help do the math for your household. Find it here: https://www.epa.gov/watersense/watersense-calculator.
For more on WaterSense savings: https://www.epa.gov/watersense/start-saving.
Need more incentive? Local water providers offer rebates for WaterSense products such as toilets, showerheads and irrigation nozzles as well as high-efficiency washers. Find the latest offers here: https://bewatersmart.info/rebates-services/.
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Debbie Arrington is a longtime home and garden reporter and co-author of the blog Sacramento Digs Gardening: https://sacdigsgardening.californialocal.com/
