09.15 Sink

On August 12, 2015, California announced the nation’s strictest low-flow residential showerhead standards in effect July 1, 2016. Once in place, the new standards could save enough water to serve 150,000 homes in the first year alone.

Currently, the flow on residential showerheads is 2.5 gallons per minute. The new standards limit the flow to 2 gallons per minute for all fixed and handheld showerheads and horizontal sprayers sold after 7/1/16. By 2018, this drops to 1.8 gallons per minute by 2018. In addition, the faucet standards are changing from the current 2.2 gallons per minute down to 1.2 gallons per minute.

With showers and faucets accounting for 40% of a home’s water usage, the California Energy Commission estimates that these new standards could save the state 38 billion gallons by 2026!