Your toilet and shower may be using more water than you realize. According to the EPA, toilets and showers are the largest consumers of water. Toilets use nearly 30% of residential water with older, inefficient toilets using as much as 6 gallons of water per flush (EPA.gov). Showers account for approximately 17% of residential water usage, using 2.5 gallons of water per minute. The WaterSense label, a label that verifies a product meets the EPA’s water efficiency and performance criteria (EPA.gov), has encouraged great technological strides toward water-efficient toilets and showerheads in recent years. WaterSense low-flow toilets have reduced toilet water usage by 20%, with low-flow toilets using as little as 1.28 gallons per flush (compared to the federal standard of 1.6), saving 13,000 gallons of water a year. In addition, WaterSense-labeled showerheads use 2.0 gallons of water per minute (GPM) compared to the standard 2.5 GPM, saving 2,700 gallons of water per year. In total, that is 15,700 gallons of water saved annually. That’s a lot of water.

If you are interested in switching to WaterSense products, but are unsure which shower head or low-flow john to purchase, the articles “Everything You Need to Know About Low-Flow Toilets and Which Ones to Choose” and “The 6 Best Water Saving Shower Heads” can aid you in your search.