Comfort and Conservation Meet in New Low-Flow Products

(ARA) – Would you like to reduce your home water bill and do something good for the environment at the same time? Consider cutting costly water wastage at the most common source – in your bathroom.

Sure, you say, you would like to be environmentally responsible. But you just can’t sacrifice an invigorating shower experience -- or reliable flushing power -- to install low-flow products in your home. But the era of “low flow” meaning “no go” is over. A new generation of low-flow showerheads and commodes is making it possible to go green and trim water costs without washing away performance and dependability.

Forty percent of all the water consumed daily in an average American home goes down the toilet bowl, experts say. Which could be why, in 1995, the federal government mandated that all new home construction be equipped with low-flow toilets.

If you have one of the older generation low-flows, however, you may find yourself questioning its actual conservation value. Older low-flows often required multiple flushes to dispose of waste that the toilet in your grandmother’s house could wash away with a single tip of the handle. That’s because your older low-flow probably uses 1.6 gallons per flush, whereas your grandmother’s toilet may use a luxurious 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush.

Modern low-flow toilets use even less water -- boosting conservation by another 2,000 gallons or more per year -- and supplement flushing power with technology. For example, Kohler’s Cimarron EST uses just 1.28 gallons per flush. Yet a design that eliminates the flapper from the flush tank boosts flushing power and reliability. What’s more, the toilet’s high efficiency meets federal guidelines that could qualify you for a utility rebate program if your community offers one.

The shower is another source of water waste. Some estimates cite the shower as accounting for 20 percent or more of the daily water usage in an average home. A five-minute shower can consume 30 gallons or more if you have a standard shower head.

Low-flow shower heads save thousands of gallons -- and potentially hundreds of dollars -- in a year. Yet poor water pressure and temperature fluctuations have made them largely undesirable for most consumers.

Enter Kohler’s MasterShower Eco showerhead and handshower. The showerhead’s innovative technology controls the water flow and boosts pressure at the same time, resulting in a satisfying shower experience and a reduction of 20 percent in water consumption. A precision-engineered valve allows the showerhead to maintain a comfortable, steady temperature.

Additional water savings can be found by installing touchless faucets. Sensors activate the faucets, so water only flows when needed.

Finally, the easiest way to conserve water in the bathroom doesn’t require any special technology. Just turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, rather than allowing it to run. You only need water to rinse out the basin and your mouth. Running the tap while brushing pours about 5 gallons of water down the drain.

Courtesy of ARA Content