Green building has grown from a niche market to a savvy, high level of performance for a whole-house solution to save water, energy, and money. WaterSense-labeled homes meet consumers’ demand for all the comforts of home while using less water and energy and spending less money on utility bills. Compared to a typical home, on average, a WaterSense-labeled home can save a family 50,000 gallons of water a year or more!
WaterSense-labeled homes deliver:
- Water Savings—WaterSense-labeled fixtures are independently certified to use less water and perform as well or better than standard models.
- Peace of Mind—Trained professionals conduct independent inspections to ensure that WaterSense-labeled homes meet EPA’s criteria, so you can be sure the homes perform well and save water.
- Faster Hot Water on Demand—Efficient plumbing distribution systems get hot water to the tap faster, so you waste less time, water, and energy.
- Better Irrigation—Low-maintenance and water-efficient WaterSense-labeled irrigation controllers help homeowners water smarter without sacrificing curb appeal.
What's in a WaterSense Labeled Home?
Some of the features of a WaterSense-labeled Home include:
- Efficiency of plumbing products
- Efficiency of water-using appliances
- Water waste from hot water delivery
- Housing design and layout
- Influence of landscape size, design, and plant choices on theoretical irrigation requirements
- Irrigation design and technology
Certification for WaterSense Labeled Homes
WaterSense-labeled homes are verified and certified to meet EPA’s Mandatory Checklist and achieve EPA’s water efficiency criteria that the home will use at least 30 percent less water than a typical home anywhere in the country. However, in some regions, additional water-efficient features may need to be adopted to meet the 30 percent threshold.
Mandatory Checklist for WaterSense Labeled Homes
The Mandatory Checklist helps ensure that all WaterSense-labeled homes contain, at a minimum, a set of features that assure quality performance in addition to efficiency. The Mandatory Checklist requires that all toilets, bathroom sink faucets, and showerheads be WaterSense labeled, and that the home be free of water leaks from all fixtures, appliances, and water piping.
The mandatory checklist is paired with the measurement requirements of the WaterSense Approved Certification Method (WACM) to ensure that a WaterSense labeled home is both water-efficient and high-performing.
WaterSense-labeled homes—like WaterSense-labeled products—must be third-party certified to meet EPA's efficiency and performance standards. The WaterSense Home Certification System outlines the process and procedures for the verification and certification of WaterSense-labeled homes. Verification is a key component of the certification process. The specification is applicable to single-family homes and multifamily buildings.
Home Verifiers
The required WaterSense verification is a simple process that can be done in a single visit, often in as little as one to two hours.
For a home to earn the WaterSense label, it must be verified by a trained and approved WaterSense home verifier and certified by an EPA-approved HCO. Verifiers are trained, evaluated, approved, and overseen by the EPA-approved HCOs to ensure they have the capability and competence to verify homes in accordance with the WaterSense Specification for Homes. Find a WaterSense home verifier.Under the WaterSense Specification for Homes, a trained WaterSense home verifier will verify that a home meets the required efficiency requirements of the HCO’s WaterSense Approved Certification Method and that it includes all the features of the Mandatory Checklist for WaterSense-Labeled Homes.
Benefits of Certification
WaterSense-labeled homes makes sense for any homebuyer. Using water more efficiently not only saves the resident water, energy, and money on their utility bills, but can also benefit entire communities by reducing stress on local infrastructure. You can help consumers and your community save water for future generations by helping identify products and homes that have earned the WaterSense label.
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