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for landscape irrigation controllers in
January 2011. Specifications for pre-rinse spray valves and water softeners started development as of 2011. In June 2014, WaterSense began the certification of homes, designed to use 20% less water than standard new construction, as well as the accreditation of irrigation professionals for the installation, maintenance, design and auditing of systems. There are no federal standards for irrigation equipment in the U.S., so the EPA uses references average system efficiency to establish a baseline and volume-based guidelines. The home certification program, called the WaterSense "New Home Specification" program, specifies criteria for residential indoor and outdoor water use, as well as homeowner education. Version 2.0 of "WaterSense Specification for Homes" can be viewed
94:(otherwise known as the Energy Policy Act, or EPACT92), enacted by the United States Congress in 1992. The initiative was in response to 42 U.S.C. §6295(j)-(k), which addresses the conservation of water supply in the United States. EPACT92 mandated new volume-based efficiency standards for toilets, showerheads and faucets as follows: toilets must be manufactured with a maximum flush volume of 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf); showerheads must be manufactured with a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm) at 80 pound-force per square inch (psi); and faucets must be manufactured with a flow rate no more than 2.5 gpm. These standards were required to take effect in January 1994, along with flow-rate labelling requirements and recommendations for the establishment of voluntary replacement programs.
141:(AWIA) of 2018. The EPA had no legal authority over WaterSense or its specifications until the enactment of the AWIA. Section 4306 of AWIA mandates that these specifications "must reduce water use, decrease strain on water systems, conserve energy, and preserve water resources." The AWIA now requires the EPA to enforce these specifications, although the program is still voluntary, and to update them every six years. In addition to the previously existing parameters of the program, the Act also encourages the EPA to expand the program beyond water conservation to promote technology for the treatment, reuse and recycling of non-potable water.
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and energy savings. According to this model, consumers have saved 1.5 trillion gallons of water and $ 32.6 billion on utility bills. LBNL used this data to create an arithmetic model to estimate the impacts that WaterSense has had on water conservation in the United States. The model is the difference between the federally-mandated efficiency baseline for water fixtures and the efficiency of WaterSense labeled products that have been sold annually. This model is also responsible for determining the financial impacts of water savings for U.S. consumers.
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standards established by EPACT92 as a baseline, the EPA instituted the following flow-rate guidelines for WaterSense: toilets must be manufactured with a maximum flush volume of 1.28 gpf; showerheads must have a maximum flow-rate of 2.0 gpm at 80 psi; and bathroom faucets must be manufactured with a low-flow volume rate of 1.5 gpm. Low-flow toilets were the first products to receive the WaterSense label in 2007, followed by bathroom sink faucets in
October of that same year.
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The EPA requires that all manufacturer and retailer/distributor partners provide data on their distribution and activities regarding WaterSense product shipment, sales and outreach. Lawrence
Berkeley National Library (LBNL) uses this data to create a National Water Savings (NWS) model to track water
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Between the years of 2006 and 2020, the EPA has projected that its water conservation program has saved approximately 5.3 trillion gallons of water and 603 billion kilowatt hours of electricity from power required to distribute and handle water. Although EPACT92 was the impetus for this initiative,
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and to promote the WaterSense label. The program was originally designed to promote consumer products (namely, low-flow water fixtures). The program, however, has since expanded to the certification of homes and accreditation of irrigation professionals. The EPA issued revised draft specifications
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program (on water rather than energy), the EPA launched WaterSense in 2006. The WaterSense label was designed to be voluntarily, sought out by manufacturers, and requires that water fixtures use at least 20% less than the federally mandated standards as established by EPACT92. Using the efficiency
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makes a product that meets those specifications, the product is eligible for third-party testing to ensure the stated efficiency and performance criteria have been met. If the product passes the test, the manufacturer is rewarded with the right to put the WaterSense label on that product.
168:(and accessories); urinals; showerheads; irrigation controllers; and spray sprinkler bodies are eligible for receiving the WaterSense label. Residential new construction is also able to receive the WaterSense "Homes Specification" certification and
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Schein, Jonah; Chan, Peter; Chen, Yuting; Dunham, Camilla; Fuchs, Heidi; Letschert, Virginie; McNeil, Michael; Melody, Moya; Price, Sarah; Stratton, Hannah; Williams, Alison (2019).
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The EPA administers educational material and exams to allow irrigation professionals to WaterSense accreditation. Exams must be renewed every two years to maintain credit.
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Homes that seek certification must be at least 30% more efficient than a conventional new home and also meet homeowner expectations for performance.
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714:"Methodology for the National Water Savings Models– Indoor Residential and Commercial/Institutional Products, and Outdoor Residential Products"
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39:
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Tanner, Stephanie (February 2009). "Current Issue: How Does WaterSense® Select
Products for Specification Development?".
61:. The goal of this program is to protect the future of the U.S. water supply. WaterSense maintains partnerships with key
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Note: Products do not require recertification, but 15% of all labeled products are audited annually by the EPA.
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Be at least 20% more efficient, without any performance variances (compared to their conventional equivalent);
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Granting EPA rights to use partner name on the Agency website or alongside other program promotional efforts.
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WaterSense, established in 2006, is a voluntary program sponsored by the EPA as a by-product of the
65:, manufacturer and retail partners across the United States. WaterSense is voluntary, rather than a
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the WaterSense program currently operates under a number of congressional authorities, such as the
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WaterSense also utilizes promotional partners who endorse and publicize the program among their
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In response to these recommendations, and in anticipation of similar impacts provided by the
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8:
505:
360:
DeOreo, William B. (July 2020). "The Truth About Water
Efficiency in the United States".
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Vickers, Amy (August 1993). "The Energy Policy Act: Assessing Its Impact on
Utilities".
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Be evaluated for ease of installation by consumer, as well as cost-effectiveness;
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Have potential for national impact (favored over regionally-available products);
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458:"Revised Draft Specification for Weather-Based Irrigation Controllers."
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Undergo third-part certification process paid for by the manufacturer.
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Grumbles, Benjamin H. (May 2008). "WaterSense® Makes Good Sense".
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to expand the WaterSense, but no consensus was made. In 2018, the
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EPA recruits partners in several different categories including:
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professionals who have undergone training by WaterSense-labeled
340:"WaterSense®: Water-Efficiency Label and Partnership Program"
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U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), Washington, DC.
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Organizations that provide qualified certification programs
551:"Water Use Efficiency Legislation in the 114th Congress"
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Enter preliminary screening process by WaterSense staff;
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The objective of the program is to educate consumers on
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Consumer products, such as residential and commercial
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In 2016, a number of proposals were introduced by the
257:. Promotional partners include utilities, state and
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Utilities, communities, state and local governments
506:"WaterSense® Program: Congressional Authorization"
137:made amendments to the program in Section 4306 of
315:"WaterSense: Product Certification and Labeling."
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240:Promoting WaterSense as well as water efficiency
232:Non-profit organizations and trade associations.
790:Water resource management in the United States
243:Adhering to WaterSense partner logo guidelines
179:Products that seek the WaterSense label must:
785:United States Environmental Protection Agency
673:United States Environmental Protection Agency
634:Journal - American Water Works Association
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397:Journal - American Water Works Association
362:Journal - American Water Works Association
31:EPA poster publicizing WaterSense products
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780:2006 establishments in the United States
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800:Water conservation in the United States
549:Copeland, Claudia (December 15, 2016).
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153:Poster promoting WaterSense showerheads
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578:Humphreys, Elena H. (March 28, 2019).
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411:– via JSTOR Arts and Sciences X.
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669:"WaterSense Specification for Homes"
532:"WaterSense Specification for Homes"
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338:Moore, Keara B. (December 4, 2017).
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482:"Cation Exchange Water Softeners."
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409:10.1002/j.1551-8833.1993.tb06041.x
236:Partner responsibilities include:
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92:Energy Policy and Conservation Act
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609:"Professional Certification"
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300:February 17, 2011, at the
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607:US EPA, OW (2017-01-16).
530:US EPA, OW (2021-02-08).
470:"Pre-Rinse Spray Valves."
124:Safe Drinking Water Act
697:"WaterSense Partners."
667:EPA, US (2021-02-01).
295:"WaterSense Timeline."
273:Quantifying the Impact
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246:Providing annual data
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730:10.2166/ws.2018.136
699:Revised 2022-05-10.
317:Revised 2011-04-14.
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99:Energy Star
774:Categories
766:at the EPA
764:WaterSense
618:2020-12-17
282:References
170:irrigation
86:Background
36:WaterSense
18:WaterSense
654:106950232
640:: 37–39.
444:115672928
382:225616477
748:33414698
298:Archived
163:bathroom
122:and the
59:products
56:consumer
739:7786394
678:May 10,
166:faucets
159:toilets
63:utility
46:in the
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313:EPA.
52:label
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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