Building WaterSense Labeled Homes
Interested in building water-efficient homes? Learn how to get involved in the WaterSense labeled homes program. The WaterSense Labeled Homes Introductory Guide (8 pp, 1.02 MB, About PDF) can help you get started.
Become a Builder Partner
Partnership is free and required for any builder who wants to earn the WaterSense label for their homes. Builders of single and multifamily homes who construct homes in accordance with the WaterSense Specification for Homes are eligible to join as WaterSense partners.
Technical Requirements
To earn the WaterSense label on their homes, builders must meet the WaterSense Specification for Homes, which includes the following requirements.
Mandatory Checklist to Ensure Quality Performance
| Item | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Leaks | Pressure-loss test on all water supplies detects no leaks |
| Free of visible leaks from toilet(s), as determined through visual assessment and by conducting a dye tablet test in each toilet to ensure the flapper is not leaking | |
| Free of visible leaks from bathroom faucet(s) | |
| Free of visible leaks from showerhead(s) | |
| Free of visible leaks from bathroom tub faucet(s), i.e., tub spout(s), when showerhead(s) are activated, as determined through visual assessment after showerhead(s) have been activated for one minute | |
| Free of visible leaks from kitchen and other sink faucet(s) | |
| Free of visible leaks from other fixtures or appliances (e.g., water heaters, clothes washers, dishwashers, hose bibbs, irrigation systems) at the point of use or point of connection to water distribution system | |
| Toilets | WaterSense labeled |
| Bathroom sink faucets | WaterSense labeled |
| Showerheads | WaterSense labeled |
| Verified Efficiency Requirement | At least 30 percent more water-efficient than a typical new construction home (based on national standards and common design and landscape practices).
|
Technical Support Resources
WaterSense has developed several resources to assist builders as they design, build, and promote water-efficient homes that earn the label.
Homes Technical Reference Manual
This reference manual can help builders understand and incorporate water-efficient features both indoors and outdoors to meet the 30 percent water efficiency requirement. The document includes a compilation of technical fact sheets focused on water-efficient fixtures, systems, and practices.
Efficient Hot Water Delivery System Guide
Efficient plumbing distribution systems get hot water to the tap faster, so residents waste less time, water, and energy. For many builders, hot water delivery represents one of the biggest challenges when constructing a water-efficient home. EPA’s best practices guide can help builders better understand hot water delivery system options and how to design them to enhance performance and maximize water and energy efficiency.
Finding Certified Irrigation Professionals
Builders can also use EPA’s Directory of Certified Professionals to find irrigation professionals certified by a WaterSense labeled program to design, install, and/or audit irrigation systems.
Outdoor Water Budget Tool
EPA no longer requires the use of the Water Budget Tool developed for Version 1 of the program for WaterSense labeled homes under Version 2. However, EPA’s Water Budget Tool can still help builders and developers improve water efficiency through landscape and irrigation design and be used for common spaces in developments that aren’t included in the homes’ certification. Using local climate data and user entries, the tool compares estimated water use for a designed landscape and irrigation system to one using practices typical of standard new construction. Using the tool can help inform smarter water-efficient landscape and irrigation choices to reduce outdoor water use.
Resources for Homebuyers
WaterSense develops resources that builders can provide to homebuyers to help them understand the benefits of a water-efficient home and the actions they should take to maintain savings.
- The Smart Investment With WaterSense brochure (2 pp, 1.8 MB, About PDF), which explains what goes into building, buying, and owning a WaterSense labeled home.
- The Home Maintenance web page and associated checklist will help homebuyers understand how to properly maintain their home to ensure their fixtures and systems continue to perform well, save water, and keep utility costs down.