Showerheads
Showering accounts for approximately 17 percent of residential
indoor water use in the United States—adding up to more than
1.2 trillion gallons of water each year nationwide. To raise consumer
awareness and help improve the water efficiency of showerheads,
WaterSense is developing a specification
for showerheads (11 pp, 164K, About
PDF).
To earn the WaterSense label, showerheads must not only save water,
but also perform as well as or better than conventional models on
the market. Unlike toilets and faucets, however, there were no universally
agreed upon testing protocols for showerhead performance or definition
for user satisfaction. To create them, WaterSense collaborated with
industry and water-efficiency experts through the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers/Canadian Standards Association (ASME/CSA)
Joint Harmonization Task Force.
In the future, showerheads bearing the WaterSense
label will use no more than 2.0 gallons per minute (gpm), tested
at a flowing pressure of 80 pounds per square inch (psi). In addition
to the water-efficiency criteria, the draft specification proposes
requirements for three key performance attributes identified through
consumer testing:
1. Flow rate across a range of pressures
2. Spray force
3. Spray coverage
These new requirements are designed to ensure a high level of performance
and user satisfaction with WaterSense labeled showerheads.
Look for the WaterSense label on
showerheads in early 2010. Replacing an older, inefficient showerhead
with a WaterSense labeled one will help reduce water use in the
home and save on both energy and water utility bills. Read the showerheads
fact sheet (1 pp, 296K, About
PDF) for more information on EPA's
draft specification (11 pp, 164K, About
PDF).
For more information on EPA's collaboration with the ASME/CSA task
force, please see WaterSense:
A Consensus-Based, Common Sense Approach for High-Efficiency Showerheads
in the February 2009 issue of Plumbing Engineer magazine.
Sign up for the WaterSense
Current to receive e-mail updates from WaterSense.
Technical Information
Are you a manufacturer or
retailer or distributor
interested in learning more? Please visit the Showerheads
Specification page for more information.
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