Trump EPA to overhaul WaterSense program
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin said his agency under the Trump administration intends to overhaul the WaterSense labeling program for water-efficient products.
“The Biden Admin weaponized energy efficiency rules to restrict consumer choice with home appliances,” Zeldin wrote on X on Feb. 14, adding that his agency will modify the program in an effort to help lower the cost of living and appliance prices for Americans.
WaterSense is a partnership program sponsored by EPA, and is both a label for water-efficient products and a resource for encouraging and assisting in conservation.
The WaterSense program was launched in 2006. At the time, former EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Ben Grumbles, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, led efforts to get the program started.
WaterSense-labeled products are independently certified to use 20% less water and perform as well or better than standard models. The program has resulted in more than 45,900 labeled toilets, faucets, faucet accessories, showerheads, irrigation controllers, and spray sprinkler bodies; and more than 10,000 WaterSense labeled homes.
More than 2,200 utilities, communities, manufacturers, home builders, retailers, and other organizations have partnered with WaterSense to create and promote toilets, faucets, showerheads, spray sprinkler bodies, irrigation controllers, and homes that are independently certified to use less water while maintaining performance.
EPA recently said in 2023 alone, WaterSense-labeled products helped save 1.2 trillion gallons of water. Since the conception of the WaterSense label, the agency said the initiative has helped save nearly 8.7 trillion gallons of water, which is the amount of water that is used by all U.S. households in a year. The agency also said WaterSense-labeled products have helped save 997 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in the United States since 2006 — enough energy to supply a year’s worth of power to more than 92 million homes — and eliminated more than 379 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
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