Save and Conserve

The EPA has a new (to me) program - WaterSense - for consumers interested in purchasing water efficient products, like toilets, faucets and showerheads. Akin to the EnergyStar program, which helps consumers identify energy-efficient electrical appliances like washers, dryers and regrigerators, WaterSense strives to do the following:

Americans use large quantities of water inside and outside of their homes. The average family of four uses 400 gallons of water every day. This amount can increase depending on location; for example, the arid West has some of the highest per capita residential water use because of landscape irrigation.

WaterSense helps conserve water for future generations by providing information on products and programs that save water without sacrificing performance. In fact, every average household that fully adopts water efficient products and practices saves 30,000 gallons per year—enough to supply a year of drinking water for 150 thirsty neighbors.

WaterSense rated products "will save you 20 percent of water over average counterparts." Pretty neat - I had never heard of this program before listening earlier today to the home improvement radio show The Money Pit, which also looks like a pretty decent resource.