Showerheads
Showering represents approximately 17 percent of residential indoor
water use in the United States—more than 1.2 trillion gallons
of water consumed each year. To raise consumer awareness and help
improve the water efficiency of showerheads, WaterSense has issued
a notification of intent
(NOI) (PDF) (5 pp, 46K, About PDF)
to develop a specification for high-efficiency showerheads.
The characteristics of a showerhead that is both efficient and
performs well are largely undefined, so WaterSense is collaborating
with industry and water-efficiency experts through the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers Joint Harmonization Task Group (ASME
JHTG) to create a definition.
Progress Update
The ASME JHTG has made considerable progress in developing
test protocols to address key performance characteristics identified
in the showerhead NOI, including:
- Pressure compensation
- Spray pattern (water distribution)
- Effectiveness (showerhead force and wetting capabilities).
The next steps are to finalize the protocols, test them in an independent
laboratory, and conduct a user satisfaction study. The results from
this research will be used to:
- Determine if the test protocols can effectively differentiate
performance among showerheads.
- Define the levels at which to set the performance criteria.
- Ensure that the test protocols are repeatable and reproducible
in any laboratory setting.
EPA is interested in hearing your input! If you have comments or suggestions
on the showerheads specification development process, please send
them to watersense_showerheads@erg.com.
WaterSense will periodically post updates, so check back regularly
for more information and recent developments!
Interested in getting e-mail updates from WaterSense?
Sign up for the WaterSense Current!
Technical Information
Are you a manufacturer
or retailer or distributor
interested in finding out more about the development of a draft
high-efficiency showerhead specification? Please review the showerhead
NOI (PDF) (5 pp, 46K, About PDF)
and the WaterSense Data Needs
page for more information, or contact the WaterSense Helpline
at (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367), or e-mail
us with questions or comments
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