Bathroom Faucets
Most of us know we can save water if we turn off the tap while brushing our teeth (as much as 3,000 gallons per year!), but did you know that there are products that will help save water when you turn on the tap too? WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucets and faucet accessories (such as aerators) are high–performing, water–efficient fixtures that will help you reduce water use in your home and save money on water bills. By retrofitting your entire bathroom with WaterSense labeled fixtures, you can save even more.
On This Page:
Faucet Flows
WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucets and accessories that use a maximum of 1.5 gallons per minute can reduce a sink's water flow by 30 percent or more from the standard flow of 2.2 gallons per minute without sacrificing performance. We could save billions of gallons nationwide each year by retrofitting old bathroom sink faucets with models that have earned the WaterSense label.
All products bearing the WaterSense label complete an independent certification process to ensure they meet EPA criteria. Faucets and faucet accessories—products that can be attached easily to existing faucets to save water—that obtain the WaterSense label have demonstrated both water efficiency and the ability to provide ample flow.
Whether replacing an older, inefficient faucet that's wasting water and money, or simply looking for options to reduce water use in your home, choose a WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucet or aerator. WaterSense labeled models are available at a wide variety of price points and a broad range of styles and in many areas, utilities offer rebates and vouchers that can lower the price even further. The next time you wash your hands or brush your teeth, you'll know that you're doing your part to help protect our precious water resources.
A WaterSense Labeled Bathroom Faucet Factsheet (pdf) is also available in PDF.
WaterSense Savings
Replacing old, inefficient faucets and aerators with WaterSense labeled models can save the average family 700 gallons of water per year, equal to the amount of water needed to take 45 showers. Also, since these water savings reduce demands on water heaters, households will also save enough energy to run a hairdryer 17 minutes a day for a year. Achieving these savings can be as easy as twisting on a WaterSense labeled aerator, which can cost as little as a few dollars.
If every home in the United States replaced existing faucets and aerators with WaterSense labeled models, we could save nearly $1.6 billion in water and energy costs and 71 billion gallons of water across the country annually—equivalent to the annual household water needs of more than 900,000 American homes.
Replacing old, inefficient bathroom faucets and aerators with WaterSense labeled models can save the average family nearly 11,000 gallons of water over the faucets' lifetime. Watch the video below to find out how easy it is to replace your faucet aerator.
- WaterSense Bath Hack #2 How to Replace your Faucet Aerator.
Performance
As a part of the specification development process WaterSense reviewed product data and investigated user satisfaction studies to select flow rate criteria that would generally provide no noticeable difference for most users in performing routine tasks such as shaving and handwashing. WaterSense also considered the impact of pressure changes on product flow rates and established a minimum flow to ensure user satisfaction in homes with low water pressure.
All WaterSense labeled lavatory faucets and accessories are independently certified to meet performance criteria to ensure user satisfaction and health and safety in the following areas:
- Life cycle: Ensures lavatory faucets continue to function as intended through their expected life cycle.
- Lead-free: Ensures plumbing fittings intended to dispense water for human consumption are lead-free.
- Minimum flow rate: Ensures an adequate flow rate necessary for typical end uses is provided at low water pressure.
See the Performance Overview for more information on how WaterSense assessed performance when developing the specification.
- WaterSense Performance Overview: Ensuring Products Perform (pdf)
- WaterSense Performance Overview: Lavatory Faucets and Faucet Accessories (pdf)
Specification
EPA released a final specification on October 1, 2007, for bathroom sink faucets and faucet accessories (e.g., aerators).
- High-Efficiency Lavatory Faucet Specification (pdf)
- High-Efficiency Lavatory Faucet Supporting Statement (pdf)
For more information about the faucet specification process, including the draft specification, public response to the draft specification, EPA's response to the public comments, and questions and answers, please see the Private Lavatory (Bathroom Sink) Faucet Specification Background Materials page.
Manufacturers that produce faucets and aerators meeting EPA's efficiency and performance criteria can apply to have their products certified to earn the WaterSense label. Before submitting products for testing, manufacturers must have a partnership agreement with EPA in place. Visit the manufacturer section on the partner page to learn more.
Specification Revision
Draft Version 2.0 Specification
[Note: As of February 2025, work to develop this specification is being paused to allow EPA to carry out a review of recent actions to ensure that consumer choice and expectations related to performance are being met. EPA is also pausing work towards development of draft specifications for public lavatory and kitchen faucets, as described in the NOI.]
In December 2024, EPA released the draft Version 2.0 of the WaterSense Specification for Private Lavatory Faucets. Within the draft specification, EPA is proposing to modify the water efficiency criteria for private lavatory faucets and faucet accessories by reducing the maximum flow rate from 1.5 to 1.2 gallons per minute. Additionally, EPA is clarifying the scope of the specification to include private metering faucets if they are equipped with a WaterSense labeled accessory and exclude bar faucets. The draft specification includes new optional criteria that allow a labeled faucet to be designated as a cold-start faucet, which is a faucet that incorporates design elements to reduce hot water use, thus saving energy. EPA is updating the specification to incorporate technical clarifications that have been made since its original publication and to ensure language aligns with recently published WaterSense specifications.
Read the draft Version 2.0 of the specification and the Summary of Revisions to learn more.
- WaterSense Specification for Private Lavatory Faucets, draft Version 2.0 Cover Letter (pdf)
- Draft Version 2.0 of the WaterSense Specification for Private Lavatory Faucets (pdf)
- Draft Version 2.0 of the WaterSense Specification for Private Lavatory Faucets Comparison to Version 1.0 (pdf)
- Draft Summary of Revisions to the WaterSense Specification for Private Lavatory Faucets (pdf)
The revisions proposed in the draft Version 2.0 of the specification constitute a major revision, as they will affect the certification status of some WaterSense labeled private lavatory faucets. Please refer to Section III of the Summary of Revisions (“Timeline for Compliance With Version 2.0 of the Specification”) to learn more about how the revisions will affect certification status and when EPA expects compliance.
Below is the draft product notification template associated with the revised specification for private lavatory faucets. When EPA releases the final Version 2.0 of the specification, licensed certifying bodies will be required to submit updated information regarding WaterSense labeled faucets to EPA using this template:
EPA held a virtual public meeting to discuss the suggested criteria in the draft specification and obtain feedback on December 19, 2024. Information from the public meeting is below.
- Draft Version 2.0 of the Specification for Private Lavatory Faucets Public Meeting Presentation (pdf)
- Draft Version 2.0 of the Specification for Private Lavatory Faucets Public Meeting Recording
EPA invites interested parties to provide written comments or materials relevant to the draft Version 2.0 of the WaterSense Specification for Private Lavatory Faucets. Please send any comments or suggestions to watersense-products@erg.com no later than February 28, 2025. Please use WaterSense’s public comment template (docx) to submit feedback.
Notice of Intent to Revise the Specification
In March 2024, EPA issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to revise the WaterSense High-Efficiency Lavatory Faucet Specification to expand the scope and update the specification criteria in response to changes in the faucet market. EPA is looking to incorporate kitchen faucets and public lavatory faucets and their respective faucet accessories into the specification. EPA also intends to update the flow rate criteria for private-use (i.e., residential) lavatory faucets. Read the NOI to learn more. [As of February 2025, EPA is pausing work to develop draft specifications for public use lavatory or kitchen faucets.]
EPA held a virtual public meeting on March 28, 2024, to discuss the NOI and obtain stakeholder feedback. Information from the public meeting is below.
- High-Efficiency Lavatory Faucet NOI Public Meeting Presentation (pdf)
- High-Efficiency Lavatory Faucet NOI Public Meeting Recording
The public comment period for the NOI closed on May 24, 2024. A compilation of the comments received is below.
Are you interested in finding out more about the revision to the WaterSense specification for faucets and faucet accessories? Please email watersense-products@erg.com to receive information about this effort.