If you have been shopping for new plumbing fixtures for your bathroom remodeling, you may have noticed the WaterSense label on many faucets, toilets, showerheads, and other bathroom fixtures. If you assumed that WaterSense products were water efficient products, you were right! But there is more to the WaterSense label than just water conservation.
Since the 1990s, government regulations have set standards for water usage for a wide variety of plumbing fixtures and other products. Most homeowners are familiar with low flow toilets, showerheads, and other fixtures. Many of these fixtures earned a well-deserved reputation for poor performance. Low flow toilets in particular earned the ire of homeowners because they performed so poorly that they often had to be flushed twice which defeated the purpose of a low flow toilet in the first place.
Since then, plumbing fixture manufacturers have redesigned their products to meet federal standards while performing far better than older low-flow products. To encourage manufacturers to take it to the next level, the WaterSense program was developed. Before it can display the WaterSense label, the product must be certified to perform as well as its counterparts while using 20 percent less water.
What this means for consumers is that they can enjoy even greater water efficiency without sacrificing performance. WaterSense products are tested by independent third party labs so consumers can depend on the results and easily identify high-performing water efficient products.
The WaterSense program includes faucets, showerheads, and toilets. It also includes controllers for irrigation systems and plans are in place to add other products such as water softeners. For the best combination of performance and conservation, look for the WaterSense label.
