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Dec. 17, 2015 — To help schools, businesses, and other facilities save water in restrooms, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has added a new category to its list of products that can earn the WaterSenselabel — flushometer-valve toilets, also known as water closets.
The WaterSense labeling specification sets a maximum allowable flush volume of 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf), which is 20 percent less water than the federal standard. WaterSense has also incorporated a minimum flush volume of 1.0 gpf to ensure that plumbing systems have adequate flow to function effectively. For dual-flush models of flushometer-valve toilets, the maximum and minimum flush-volume requirements apply to both the full- and reduced-flush modes.
Like all WaterSense-labeled products, flushometer-valve toilets will be independently certified for water efficiency and performance. WaterSense-labeled models must also comply with existing plumbing codes and standards, and will be tested to handle typical commercial waste loads. Facility managers should consult a plumbing engineer if they have questions about using WaterSense-labeled flushometer-valve toilets in their building.
EPA estimates that about 26 percent — or 7 million — of the 27 million flushometer-valve toilets currently installed in U.S. commercial and institutional facilities flush at volumes higher than the federal standard of 1.6 gpf, some as much as 3 to 7 gpf. Each of these toilets that is replaced with a WaterSense-labeled model could save a business nearly 5,500 gallons of water per year and nearly $1,000 over the lifetime of the toilet.
A 10-story office building with 1,000 occupants can save nearly 1.2 million gallons of water and more than $10,000 in water costs per year by replacing inefficient flushometer-valve toilets with WaterSense-labeled models. Of those savings, nearly 870,000 gallons of water and $7,600 in water costs per year can be achieved by replacing the toilets in the women's restrooms alone.
WaterSense already labels flushing urinals and pre-rinse spray valves used in commercial and institutional facilities. With the release of the "WaterSense Specification for Flushometer-Valve Water Closets," manufacturers of toilet fixtures and flushometer valves that have partnered with WaterSense can have their valves, fixtures, or valve-fixture combinations certified to earn the label. Building owners, architects, and managers should be able to purchase these labeled products in early 2016. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/watersense.
WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by EPA, seeks to protect the future of our nation's water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water with water-efficient products, homes, and services. Since the program began in 2006, WaterSense and its partners have helped consumers save 1.1 trillion gallons of water and more than $21.7 billion in water and energy bills.
