Building Green Homes
Faucets and Showerheads
[2]
Showers account for 17% of household indoor water use! The average shower is between 12 and 15 minutes. A 15-minute shower uses 150 gallons of water! And a bathtub uses 30 to 50 gallons of water per bath.[1] Just like leaky faucets, leaky showerheads can waste a lot of water and because showerheads tend to be larger than faucets, they can leak a lot more water. A showerhead that leaks ten drips per minute can waste 500 gallons of water every year! The most common reason for a leaky showerhead is a loose connection. Pipe tape and a wrench can be used to fix most leaks.
Water efficient showerheads are a great way to reduce water usage when showering. The WaterSense label guarantees that a showerhead bearing the label will use no more than 2 gallons of water per minute, and meets certain criteria for coverage and spray intensity. Reducing water flow via a showerhead will not only save homeowners money due to a smaller water bill, but it also saves money and energy by reducing the demand on water heaters. Changing a standard showerhead to a water efficient one can save enough energy to power a house for two weeks!
[1] Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, "Water Usage", 13 May 2014
Faucets
Showerheads
15% of indoor household water use comes from faucets. Over a trillion gallons of water flow out of faucets each year in the United States.
Faucet Leaks:
A leaky faucet that drips at a rate of 5 drips every minute (1 drip = ¼ ml) will waste 173 gallons of water each year. If there are multiple leaky faucets and/or faucets that leak at a higher rate per minute in a home, it could lead to thousands of gallons of wasted water every year. One single drip will not waste much water, but over time that water adds up. If one single leaky faucet in a home can waste 173 gallons of water every year, what if every home in your city, state, or even the U.S. had one? Leaks can add up so it is important to make sure all faucets in a home are leak-free.[1] Double check to make sure all gaskets and washers are secured tight and not worn out to prevent leaking.
Water efficient faucets use 30% less water than standard faucets. Standard faucets use around 2.2 gallons of water per minute, while water efficient ones use around 1.5 gallons per minute. The WaterSense labeled models come in a variety of models, finishes, and price points.[2] If a homeowner is not looking to replace an entire faucet but still want to reduce water use, aerators are the perfect solution. Faucet aerators reduce the amount of water coming out of a faucet by mixing the water with air. The aerator attaches to the existing faucet and acts as a sifter to separate a large flow of water into multiple tiny flows, allowing air to be mixed in. In simpler terms, there is less room for air to move through so water flow is reduced, yet water pressure remains constant. Faucet aerators are a cheap way to reduce water usage. Aerators can cost as little as five dollars and are easy to install, just simply attach to an existing faucet. Some aerators can reduce water flow all the way down to half a gallon per minute.[3]
[1] USGS, "How Much Water Does a Leaky Faucet Waste?", 17 Mar. 2014
[2] EPA, "Bathroom Sink Faucets & Accessories", Feb. 2013
[3] James Rada Jr., "How Does a Faucet Aerator Work?", Accessed 6 Nov. 2014
