Meet WaterSense, it slashes water use with green toilets & urinals

Most everyone has used a toilet at some point in their life, and habitual behaviors on a mass scale drive overall consumption patterns. That’s why the EPA is focused on marketing green toilets and urinals through its badge of approval: WaterSense.

In 2008 WaterSense saved 9.3 billion gallons of water through its certified network of brands building and selling products that meet the program’s specifications. High efficiency, or green toilets are a key part of that savings - especially considering toilets account for about 30% of residential indoor water consumption.

An average consumer will flush the toilet 140,000 times in their lifetime and a WaterSense labeled product can reduce the water consumed by that activity by saving about 4,000 gallons per year according to the EPA. Brands participating vary widely and include American Standard, Crane, Kohler and others.

While not as sexy as something like a new Chevy Volt or Kindle 2, green toilets cut back on the amount of water used every day can make a real difference. These brands are choosing to participate in a program that is based in fact and changing habitual behaviors on a mass scale.

Keep an eye out for some earlier generation low flow toilets, which have a reputation for not working as well as traditional toilets - high efficiency toilets maintain or improve the level of flushing power. That’s a critical point because green products need to deliver the same amount of value as their traditional counterparts, while also upping their earth-friendliness.

Just like the government-run Energy Star has provided a standard of efficiency for electrical appliances, WaterSense is trying to do the same for products like green toilets that use water. It’s a worthwhile investment to reduce impact on the environment and can save cash for anyone who pays their own water bill.