WaterSense Shower Fixtures: They Just Make Sense

Are you looking for ways to curb your annual energy expenditures? Well, there’s one inexpensive upgrade that you can make in your Florida home that could save you 2,900 gallons of water annually and conserve enough electricity to power your home for almost two weeks a year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That upgrade is the installation of WaterSense shower fixtures.

Products carrying the WaterSense label, including , toilets and showerheads use around 20 percent less water than standard models. They undergo independent testing to ensure they meet the EPA’s standards for water efficiency and performance.

While standard showerheads use 2.5 gallons of water per minute (gpm), WaterSense models use no more than 2 gpm. Install WaterSense-labeled showerheads in two of your showers and you’ll see a return on your investment in around 14 months if you have electric water heating and two years if you use gas.

You won’t have to sacrifice comfort for those savings, either. All WaterSense-qualified showerhead models were consumer tested for force and spray coverage. Experts managing the tests noted which qualities and performance behaviors testers liked least, and then aimed to ensure WaterSense shower fixtures didn’t have those undesirable qualities.

Although high-efficiency showerheads have a reputation for producing unexpectedly hot water, this is no more likely to happen with WaterSense models than with standard models. If you’re concerned about temperature variation or you’ve experienced problems, contact a plumber to check your home’s hot-water system.

Not sure you need a more efficient showerhead? Take the Florida Power & Light Company’s showerhead efficiency test. All you’ll need to do is time how long it takes your showerhead to fill a one-gallon bucket. If it takes less than 24 seconds, your showerhead isn’t water efficient because it is flowing faster than 2.5 gpm, which wastes both water and energy.

Because a showerhead’s performance depends on proper installation, if you decide to use WaterSense showerheads, follow the installation instructions carefully or consult a professional.

For more professional guidance on WaterSense shower fixtures and other energy-saving options for your home, contact us at Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions. Since 1969, we’ve been providing expert residential and commercial HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) services in the Orlando, Melbourne, Titusville, Cocoa Beach and Merritt Island areas.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about WaterSense products and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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