Does your irrigation system make sense? Are your sprinklers working for you or against you in your mission to irrigate efficiently? Luckily, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created a label to distinguish water-efficient products as a resource for helping you save water! So when you are shopping around for irrigation-related products, look for the WaterSense label to ensure your products aren’t wasting water.
Even though it seems like planet Earth is surrounded by by water, only 1% of that fresh water is available for human use and consumption. And of that 1%, the average American uses approximately 82 gallons of water each day in the home. A way to conserve some of that water would be to implement products in and outside your home that are designed to save water.
WaterSense’s mission is to transform the marketplace for products and services that use water and to promote a nationwide ethic of water efficiency to conserve water resources for future generations and reduce water/wastewater infrastructure costs. The WaterSense label makes it easy to find water-efficient products, tools and services when you’re looking to step up your water saving game.
WaterSense just makes sense:
- WaterSense labeled products are 20% more water-efficient.
- Replacing a clock-based irrigation controller with a WaterSense labelled controller can save an average home 15,000 gallons of water annually.
- If every home in the U.S. had a properly-operated WaterSense labeled controller, the U.S. could save up to 390 billion gallons of water annually.
- 31 billion gallons of water could be saved in the U.S. annually if every home installed WaterSense labeled spray sprinkler bodies.
WaterSense labeled irrigation products:
Irrigation controllers
- A major waste of water can be attributed to irrigation controllers. Most automatic irrigation controllers run on a clock and are completely unaware of landscape and weather conditions. Thus, leading to overwatering and watering at inopportune times.
- Currently, there are only WaterSense labels on weather-based and soil moisture-based irrigation controllers
- Both controllers operate watering schedules in sync with the landscape’s water needs via local weather data or the amount of moisture that is present in the soil.
- Find a water-efficient irrigation controller by checking out: WaterSense – Irrigation Controllers
Sprinklers
- In-ground irrigation systems account for half of the home’s water use. Irrigation systems can also be a major waste of water if the water pressure is higher than what is recommended. When a system’s pressure is too high, water is dispersed as a mist or fog and provides uneven coverage.
- WaterSense labeled spray sprinkler bodies regulate pressure to ensure a consistent flow rate and deliver water evenly to the landscape. Having pressure-regulated sprinklers not only saves water, but it saves you money!
- Find water-efficient spray sprinkler bodies by checking out: WaterSense – Sprinkler Bodies
Find a certified WaterSense Pro:
- When hiring a professional to install, maintain, or repair your irrigation system, be sure that they are certified by a WaterSense labeled irrigation program.
- If your system (containing WaterSense labeled products) is maintained well, your home’s irrigation use can be reduced by 7,600 gallons, or 480 showers, annually!
- Find a certified WaterSense professional in your area by checking out: Find a Pro
Resources:
EPA: WaterSense
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