Emergence of Water Efficiency
As businesses, consumers and government entities become increasingly aware
of the overall environmental and economic impact of their decisions, water
efficiency is emerging as the next big topic in the green movement. General Electric Co.
executives recently predicted that their water products and services division
could quickly become a major growth driver, likening the potential of the
water business to their recent and rapid success in the wind business.1
What is WaterSense?
WaterSense seeks to
promote the market for water-efficient products, programs, and practices.
Launched in 2006 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), WaterSense
helps consumers identify water-efficient products and programs by labeling
products and programs that perform as well or better than their competitors
and use at least 20 percent less water than their competitors.2
WaterSense Products
Today, consumers can choose from more than 300 high-efficiency
toilets (HETs) and more than 1,000
types of water-saving faucets and accessories that have earned the WaterSense
label. In 2008 alone, WaterSense labeled
toilets, faucets, and faucet accessories helped Americans save an estimated
9.3 billion gallons of water - enough water to supply 100,000 average households
for a year - and realize more than $55 million in savings on water and sewer
bills.3
WaterSense Partners
WaterSense partners
with manufacturers, retailers and distributors, utilities, state and local
governments, nongovernmental organizations, trade associations and irrigation
professionals to bring water-efficient products to market and to endorse the
WaterSense label.
Ferguson Enterprises,
the country's largest wholesale distributor of plumbing supplies, partnered
with WaterSense in 2007.
1 http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN2235851820090811
2 http://www.epa.gov/watersense/pubs/every.htm
3 http://www.epa.gov/watersense/news/current/summer2009.htm