OW -- Virginia Lee -- Water Sense Judy Pino: How would you like to save money, on your next water bill, while conserving one of life’s essential liquid assets? H20, water, the thirst quencher, any way you say it, you need it, we all do. The Earth might seem like it has abundant water, but guess what? Only one percent is available for human use. While the population and the demand on freshwater resources increases, the supply remains constant. So what can you do to both save money and water? One label can make all the difference. It just makes WaterSense. Hi, I’m Judy Pino, with EPA’s office of multimedia, and this is Green Tips. [music] WaterSense is a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It makes the easy for Americans to save water and protect the environment. Just look for the WaterSense label to choose quality water-efficient products that don’t require change in your lifestyle. Virginia Lee is with EPA’s office of water, to tell us about these water-efficient products hitting the marketplace right now. Thanks, Virginia for coming. Virginia Lee: Thanks Judy. Judy Pino: What is WaterSense? Virginia Lee: Well, as you said, WaterSense is an EPA program. It includes a label that is backed by the EPA that helps consumers make smart environmental choices when it comes to water use in their home. Judy Pino: Now, how does a product earn the WaterSense label? Virginia Lee: Well, any manufacturer of a water-using product can have their product tested to meet our specifications or criteria. Products that pass that test can bear the WaterSense label. Judy Pino: Now, we hear so much about energy efficiency. What is the connection between energy and water efficiency. Virginia Lee: Well, there are two main areas that we look at when we think about that connection. The first is it takes a vast amount of energy to treat, pump and deliver water to our homes and businesses. Judy Pino: Sure. Virginia Lee: Second, in our homes, and in our businesses, we use energy to heat the water that’s delivered to our sinks, our showers, and our appliances. All that energy use amounts to air pollution. Judy Pino: Let’s talk about the products themselves, shall we? And we’ll begin in an obvious place where we use plenty of water: the bathroom. Here’s a little WaterSense, you can find these in the WaterSense Web Site. Give your bathroom a high efficiency makeover by installing a WaterSense labeled high-efficiency toilet and faucet, or faucet accessories and save more than 11,000 gallons annually, Virginia? Virginia Lee: Yes. It’s a perfect location to start applying your WaterSense. Here in the U.S. we use up to 70 percent of our water indoors, and toilets account for nearly 30 percent of that amount. So when you’re shopping for a new toilet, it’s just as simple as looking for the WaterSense label, or asking your plumber about WaterSense. We have more than 120 toilets of all different types of models that have earned the label. So that means they’ve been independently tested and certified to meet EPA’s criteria for water efficiency, and performance. Judy Pino: So you get guarantee and you get all these models to choose from. That’s fantastic. Okay, more WaterSense. If all inefficient toilets in U.S. homes were converted to WaterSense labeled toilets, we would save enough water to equal 15 days of flow over Niagara Falls. Now, that’s amazing. What is so special about WaterSense labeled toilets? Virginia Lee: Well, really it’s three things. As we’ve mentioned, water savings, next is utility bill savings. A family of four can save about $100 per year on their water bills. And last, it’s performance. Because these WaterSense labeled products have been independently tested and certified, you know you won’t have to worry about them doing the job. Judy Pino: Now, with those savings, why stop at a toilet? Here’s some more WaterSense, switching to WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucets, or faucet accessories, could save your family enough water annually to do 14 loads of laundry. That’s a lot of laundry. Virginia Lee: That’s right. And Americans can tap into more water savings by installing these labeled faucets as part of their bathroom renovation. You can even buy a simple aerator today and attach it to your existing faucet to reduce your water flow without a noticeable difference in pressure or water flow. Judy Pino: So you don’t really need to go out and buy a new faucet, you can get the aerator. Virginia Lee: A simple, inexpensive aerator. Judy Pino: Well, how do we find these products to start saving? Virginia Lee: When you’re shopping for toilets, faucets, or faucet aerators, whether you’re at a plumbing product supplier, or a hardware store, or at any retail store, just look for the WaterSense label on product packaging. If you don’t see it, ask a salesperson or a store manager how to order WaterSense labeled products. And our Web site has a list of all the products, as well as links to our partners who sell the products directly. Judy Pino: And here it is, to find out what to look for and all there is to know about WaterSense, please visit epa.gov/watersense. And even if you are not ready to renovate your bathroom, visit today. You can pick up some useful tips on how to save water every day in your home, and take the WaterSense pledge to reduce your water use. Thank you, Virginia Lee, with the office of water, for your Green Tips. [music] [end of transcript] OW -- Virginia Lee -- Water Sense 1 3/28/2008 Prepared by National Capitol Captioning 2820 Washington Blvd. #2 (703) 243-9696 Arlington, VA 22201