WaterSense New Homes
Pilot Is Key to Future Savings
Testing the waters for EPA’s upcoming new homes
labeling program
The WaterSense label is homeward bound. Soon new homebuyers
will be able to identify water-efficient homes just by looking
for the WaterSense label.
Seven builders from across the country will help EPA demonstrate
its draft new homes labeling specification by building about
50 homes to meet the WaterSense new home draft water-efficiency
criteria. Each builder will construct at least one home to
the draft specification by December 2008 and provide feedback
to help inform the specification process. Once the spec is
finalized, EPA will invite builders around the country to
join WaterSense and construct WaterSense labeled new homes.
Homes built during this pilot will be designed to save water
inside and out. They will include WaterSense labeled toilets
and faucets, ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers and dishwashers,
and efficient plumbing systems, landscape design, and irrigation
systems (if included in the new home package). Homeowner education
is another important part of the new homes program. Builders
must develop and provide homeowners with a manual that explains
proper use of all water-using equipment or controls in the
house and yard.
Builders and homeowners in the arid Southwest face water-efficiency
challenges different from those in, say, the Northeast. That’s
why EPA selected builders from a variety of climates to participate
in the pilot:
- Anderson Homes—Raleigh and Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Aspen Homes of Colorado—Windsor, Colorado
- Cleantech Homes—Beverly, Massachusetts
- Dorn Homes—Tubac, Arizona
- GreenLife Homes LLC—West Olive, Michigan
- Nappier & Turner Construction Co., Inc.—Hendersonville,
North Carolina
- Tim O’Brien Homes, Inc.—Waukesha, Wisconsin
EPA expects homes built to the draft standard to be about
20 percent more efficient than similar new homes, saving approximately
10,000 gallons of water per year. That’s enough to make
buyers in today’s market click their heels and say,
“There’s no place like a WaterSense labeled home.” |
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WaterSense labeled new homes
are expected to save about 10,000 gallons of water
per year when compared to other new homes—that’s
enough water to fill a backyard swimming pool. |
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A
Day in the Life of a Drop
As students find themselves awash in new information this fall,
it’s a great time to teach them why it’s important to
save all this H20. Teachers can find ample information
on this topic through EPA’s new water-efficiency educational
materials.
Elementary school teachers will find the EPA Office of Water’s
A Day in the Life of a Drop
curriculum particularly useful. This set of activities is designed
to help students in grades 3 through 5 understand the connections
between the source of the water they use and the ways their water
use habits affect the environment and human health. Key concepts
in the lesson are water efficiency, watersheds, water uses, drinking
water sources, and wastewater. Students also learn how to reduce
their impacts and engage family members. After completing two water
savings worksheets, students and families take the Pledge to Filter
Out Bad Water Habits, a water conservation checklist, to demonstrate
their commitment to saving water for the future.
Want
the Real Green Stuff? Look for the WaterSense Label
It seems like everyone wants a piece of the green market these
days. In North America alone, more than 84 “eco-labels”
appear on products asserting various green claims. But many of these
labels come with vague claims and little testing or oversight. Given
the potential for customer confusion, how can a conscientious individual
identify the true eco-products from imitators?
For those interested in saving water, the WaterSense label provides
a reliable mark to help consumers identify products that save water
and perform well. Unlike many other eco-labels, the WaterSense
label is backed by third-party certification in order to ensure
that every product that bears the label has met EPA’s criteria
for both water efficiency and performance. Any product that bears
the WaterSense label has been independently tested to use about
20 percent less water and perform as well as or better than conventional
models.
Many “green” claims and labels are placed on products
by organizations as a marketing ploy to increase sales by appealing
to eco-minded consumers today. Because the WaterSense program is
sponsored by EPA, consumers know that the label carries the credibility
of an environmental agency whose mission is to protect human health
and the environment.
EPA created WaterSense to protect water supplies for future generations,
and choosing products with the WaterSense label helps you make more
than a drop of difference.
Water Waster vs. Water Winners
Water Waster: Lance Armstrong has been a
role model for people everywhere with his courageous fight against
cancer and his seven Tour de France wins; however, there’s
one title that might not make him proud. Lance's Spanish-colonial
home in Austin, Texas, holds the title as one of the city's
biggest
water-guzzling abodes
(registration required). His 8,000-square-foot home used 330,000
gallons of water in the month of July alone—38 times the
amount of water the average home is Austin, Texas, uses in a
single month. This was news to Lance, who told the Austin
American-Statesman, “I need to fix this.” |
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Water Winners: EPA salutes
our first-ever 2008 WaterSense
Partners of the Year for their demonstrated dedication
to promoting water efficiency across the nation. The 2008
Partners of the Year include:
- The Saving Water Partnership between Seattle Public Utilities
and 17 local utilities;
- Kohler Company, which manufacturers WaterSense labeled
faucets and toilets;
- Ferguson Enterprises, which sells WaterSense labeled
fixtures to plumbing professionals; and
- Timothy Malooly, a WaterSense irrigation partner from
Shorewood, Minnesota.
These winners know how to make every drop count! |
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The
True Cost of Water
It’s a story more complicated than it first appears. A drought
looms. A community conserves. And then, even though less water is
being used, the cost of water rises.
This is the situation facing Atlanta’s northern and western
suburbs, where regional water wholesaler Cobb County-Marietta Water
Authority is increasing rates by about 50 cents per thousand gallons
this October. Atlanta communities had cut back water use significantly
in response to a record drought in the region that started in 2007.
So what gives?
Beneath the surface, this issue is more complicated than it first
appears. These Atlanta suburbs, like most communities in America,
had not been paying the true cost of water.
In general, the price of water in the United States has little
to do with supply and demand. Municipalities and regulators typically
set rates as low as possible, so much so that 30 percent of all
water utilities operate at a loss or a deficit. Often water rates
will increase for a multitude of reasons.
Consider this: the American drinking water infrastructure network
spans more than 700,000 miles—more than four times longer
than the National Highway System—and in many municipalities,
these pipes are more than 100 years old. An EPA study estimates
that updating aging water infrastructure could cost nearly $500
billion over the next two decades.
Inevitably, water rates will go up in order to pay for the replacement
of old infrastructure, new water treatment technologies for better
water quality, and new water infrastructure to support increasing
populations. Water efficiency can in fact help utilities save money
over the long run by delaying costly capital expansions. And many
homeowners may find that through water efficiency, even if they
pay more per drop of water, they will still be paying less overall
on their water bills than they would have before.
What’s more, Atlanta communities were asked to take drastic,
necessary measures to reduce water use well beyond water efficiency
or conservation. “What is painting efficiency in a bad light
in the Southeast is the failure to recognize the difference between
emergency response and efficiency. The extreme watering restrictions
and mandated reductions we’ve experienced in Atlanta are emergency
drought management tactics and they have devastating financial ramification
just like any natural disaster such as hurricanes or tornados,”
said Kathy Nguyen, water-efficiency program manager for Cobb County
Water System, the Authority’s largest customer. “Efficiency
is not about hardship, sacrifice, and mandates and it does not destroy
a water system’s fiscal plan.”
Finally, tap water is, on the whole, inexpensive. Bottled water
costs from 100 times to more than 2,000 times more than tap water.
In the Atlanta metro area, the Cobb County rate increase will equate
to about $3.25 more for water per month for the average family.
In the long run, however, it’s still better to protect water
supplies and systems for future generations.
Two
States Take a Holiday From Taxes
Georgia and Virginia are making water efficiency easier—and
more affordable—than ever. For the first time, these states
offered sales tax holidays for purchases of WaterSense labeled products.
This was done in conjunction with the existing sales tax holiday
on ENERGY STAR qualified products.
In early October, Georgia
completed a four-day state and local sales tax exemption
on WaterSense labeled products such as toilets, bathroom sink faucets,
and faucet accessories (such as aerators). As part of the effort
to promote WaterSense labeled products, EPA, the state of Georgia,
and several WaterSense partners, including Kohler Co., The Home
Depot, and Cobb County Water System, hosted an educational event
on October 2 featuring a “water-efficient, luxury mobile public
restroom” to demonstrate to Atlanta area residents how improving
water efficiency in bathrooms can be done without sacrificing quality.
From October 10 to 13, the state of Virginia
also held a state-wide sales tax holiday
for ENERGY STAR qualified appliances and WaterSense labeled bathroom
sink faucets, faucet accessories, and toilets.
In addition to the up-front cost savings provided by the sales
tax holiday, WaterSense labeled products use less water, and can
cost less to operate, than older models. By installing these products,
a family of four can save thousands of gallons of water and more
than $90 per year on water bills. By providing an additional incentive
to upgrade your bathroom and fixtures, these tax holidays make a
smart choice for your wallet—and the environment.
Partner
Profile: GreenPlumbers USA
The WaterSense Current periodically profiles
outstanding WaterSense partners and their achievement in advancing
water efficiency and water-efficient products and practices.
GreenPlumbers USA, a WaterSense partner since April 2008,
is an innovative, national training and accreditation organization
that assists plumbers in understanding their role in the environment
and public health. The organization’s goal is to train plumbers
to promote the benefits of water efficiency and the associated reductions
of greenhouse gas emissions. So far, GreenPlumbers USA
has completed more than 65 workshops and has trained more than 2,200
plumbers.
GreenPlumbers USA works with local and state jurisdictions,
utilities, and water agencies to carry out its workshops. The training
consists of a five-part accreditation in environmental and technical
issues including climate care and water-efficient technology. Once
they have completed their training, accredited plumbers can assist
homeowners and businesses with monitoring their water and energy
consumption and determine the most efficient products and appliances
for their current and future needs.
The GreenPlumbers 50-point environmental household inspection
report, for example, helps homeowners work out in detail how much
water they currently use around the home. The plumbers then discuss
various water-saving and environmental options for each specific
household. You can learn more about GreenPlumbers
USA
on the organization’s Web site.
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