 Saving
Water Saves Energy:
Make the Drops-to-Watts Connection
It's Time for a New Way to Think About Water and Energy Efficiency
 With
climate change concerns, pervasive droughts, and high energy prices
across the country, nearly everyone is looking for ways to conserve
resources and cut costs. The good news is that by using a little
“water sense” we can all use water and energy more efficiently,
save money, and preserve our nation’s energy supplies and
water for future generations.
It’s time for a new way of thinking about using water and
energy more efficiently. The WaterSense program can help you save
both.
Drops & Watts: You Can’t Have One Without the Other
Many Americans know about the importance of saving energy, and
many know about the importance of saving water. But few know about
the direct connection between saving both. We turn on the bathroom
lights and the shower without realizing how closely related water
and electricity are to each other.
 The
truth is vast amounts of energy are used to pump, treat, deliver,
and heat our nation’s water.
Approximately 4 percent of the nation’s electricity consumption
is used moving or treating water and wastewater. Considerable amounts
of energy also go to heat water for bathing, shaving, cooking, and
cleaning our homes, dishes, and clothes. In homes with electric
water heaters, one-quarter of the households’ electricity
is used to heat water.
Given how closely related saving water is to saving energy, one
of the best ways to save energy across the country and in our own
homes is to use water more efficiently.
Did You Know?
Saving water saves energy. If 1 percent of American homes replaced
older toilets with WaterSense labeled ones, the United States
would save enough electricity to power more than 40,000 homes
for a month. |
How Can We Start Saving?
 One
of the simplest ways to save both water and energy is to install
water-efficient plumbing fixtures. The WaterSense label makes it
easy to identify toilets, faucets, and accessories that not only
save water, but reduce your energy bills. Installing WaterSense
labeled faucet aerators in your bathrooms, for example, costs just
a few dollars but could save you enough electricity to dry your
hair every day for a year!
There are hundreds of WaterSense labeled toilets and bathroom sink
faucets and faucet accessories to choose from. What’s more,
you can be sure the products will not only save resources, but they
will perform to your expectations. WaterSense labeled products must
achieve independent, third-party testing and certification to prove
they meet EPA’s rigorous criteria for both efficiency and
performance before they can earn the label.
Look for WaterSense labeled products
and start saving both water and energy!
Did You Know?
It also takes water to create energy. Vast amounts of water
are used to cool the power plants that generate electricity.
In fact, it takes 3,000 to 6,000 gallons of water to power a
60-watt incandescent bulb for 12 hours per day over the course
of a year! |
This document is also available in PDF
(2 pp, 905K, About PDF).
|
