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Rick Schwolsky, Sal Alfano, and Denise Dersin of Hanley Wood moderate a panel of seven industry experts at last year’s Delta Faucet Water-Efficiency Summit. Speakers addressed how we are and are not addressing water efficiency in our homes; how water-saving products are researched and designed; how to achieve net-zero water use; and what value home buyers place on water efficiency.
Also, be sure to download and read the white paper, titled How Building Professionals Can Save Our Cities, which examines the place of industry pros in the national discussion about water efficiency.
When you look at some of the statistics on how much water is wasted on outdoor uses, it’s no surprise that municipalities faced with drought conditions almost always enact restrictions on lawn irrigation, car-washing, and other outdoor activities first. It’s simply the quickest and easiest way to reduce household water use.
Delta employs ethnographic research, focus groups, interviews, in-home use, and water-use studies, in order to come up with products that meet one very specific goal: Deliver on a consumer’s experience or the task they’re trying to do.
It's been almost 20 years since the federal government, through the Energy Policy Act, made low-flow toilets the law of the land. It’s generally agreed that the law, which had no input from industry experts, was a colossal failure during those early years. The term "low flow" became synonymous with "doesn't work." Since then great strides have been made. Toilets, especially those certified by the EPA’s WaterSense program, have been re-engineered to move waste more effectively with less water. A roundup of six of the most efficient toilets on the market follows.
Have you been wanting to “sell” a bathroom that conserves water but don’t know where...
When it comes to persuading new-home buyers to go with a “green” structure over a more...
The focus of Builder’s story, “KB Home Named WaterSense Partner of the Year: The...
“WaterShed achieves an elegant mix of inspiration, function, and simplicity,” said Architecture Contest Juror Michelle Kaufmann. “It takes our greatest challenge in the built environment, energy and water, and transforms them into opportunities for spatial beauty and poetry while maintaining livability in every square inch.” The 900-square-foot home is formed by two rectangular modules capped by a split-butterfly roof that captures and uses both sunlight and rainwater.
“Rapidly deteriorating roads and bridges could stifle America’s economy and turn transportation headaches into nightmares, but if the nation’s water and sewer systems begin to fail, life as we know it will, too.” But shoring up the country’s water and sewer system will take money. Lots of money. At a Senate hearing last month, it was estimated that, on average, 25 percent of drinking water leaks from water system pipes before reaching the faucet. The same committee was told it will take $335 billion to resurrect water systems and $300 billion to fix sewer systems.
For the first time in five years, Dallas put mandatory water restrictions in place on Mon., Dec. 12, 2011. These restrictions, the so-called Stage 1 (PDF) rules, permit residents and businesses to water lawns and landscaping no more than twice a week. Interestingly, the mandatory restrictions have been put in place not because the water supply for Dallas is in danger, but because other nearby cities are in trouble.
How to set priorities and meet new guidelines for water use.
Specifying plumbing fixtures that save water doesn’t have to mean compromising performance.
Reducing outdoor water use is a top priority. Here’s how to combine design and technology for efficient landscaping.
How widespread water shortages, driven by climate change and population growth, are shaping our future.
As part of an EPA study, Pulte Homes integrates water-efficient features into its Las Vegas production housing.
Award-winning Australian home raises the bar for water-conscious builders around the world.
WaterSense helps people save water with a product label and tips for saving water around the house. Products carrying the WaterSense label perform well, help save money, and encourage innovation in manufacturing.
With the challenges of population growth, aging infrastructure, and the effects of climate change, aging infrastructure, and the effects of climate change putting a strain on already strapped water supplies, communities across the country are feeling the pinch.
Residential water use accounts for more than half of publicly supplied water in the United States. In the average American home, 70 percent of total household water consumption is from indoor plumbing use and 30 percent from outdoor use.
Building a new home is a big investment for you and your family’s future. But when you build a water-efficient home, you’re investing in the future of your community and the planet as well.
