The increased popularity of water-conserving hardware has sky rocketed as homeowners become more conscientious about their water and energy use. Low-Flow fixtures are the new talk of the town when it comes to plumbing, remodeling, and home building. Contractors are required to comply with federal laws that mandate the use of low-flow fixtures.
Since the introduction of these federal laws there have been vast improvements in water conserving technologies and green construction products, as well as a spike in the number of individuals who want to conserve even more than the laws mandate. Energy conservation has long been a primary national issue, and now water conservation is becoming a prominent issue as well.
Some cities like Phoenix have had water conservation offices before conservation was a major national issue. The Phoenix construction industry has been a leader in water conservation since the 80s. Despite being a desert city, they are still using the same amount of water now–with 28% more people–as they did 10 years ago, and Phoenix contractors continue to strive for maximum water conservation.
The three main low-flow water fixtures that homeowners and home builders invest in are: faucets, shower heads, and toilets. When a home switches to or is built with these three low-flow fixtures, it’s water costs savings are can be anywhere from 50-70%.
- It is ideal to install low-flow shower heads with new shower valves created by the same manufacturer. Shower valves control temperature and pressure, and usually do not work as well when combined with different shower head makes. This can lead to uncomfortable, frequent temperature changes. Low-flow shower heads can cut down on water use by 20-40% which adds up to a lot of costs savings, as with an older shower head a typical shower can use up to 40 gallons of water.
- Low-flow faucets are standard and are not much higher in price than regular faucets. They cut back about 40% of faucet water use. If you are considering an automatic, sensor operated faucet, make sure to do your research, as many are reported to run longer than they should. Many of them also turn on when anything, like a dirty dish, is placed beneath the faucet.
- How many people do you have in your home? Each person in a home uses about 20 gallons of toilet water per day. Low-flow toilet fixtures easily cut this number right in half. Try out models with different sizes and shapes. It also a good idea to measure the space in your bathroom before going toilet shopping. You can check the performance of various low-toilets by looking at their Maximum Performance Testing (MaP) results, which you can easily find on the California Water Council’s website.
While low-flow fixtures still out price regular water fixtures, their long-term cost saving benefits far outweigh the initial costs. Low-flow fixtures have reduced in price since their initiation into the marketplace about 15 years ago and their prices continue to drop.
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