ENVIRNOMENTAL NEWS AND NOTES |
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(NAPSI)-If you’re looking to help the Earth and keep money from going down the drain, it might be time to examine your water use. If yours is like most families’, you use about 69 gallons of water a day inside the home. Much of that is used in the bathroom by showers and toilets. But changing out inefficient showerheads and toilets with new types of water-saving products could help you conserve. Here’s a closer look: Water-Saving Flushes Homeowners can find a one-piece, dual-flush toilet called the Saile, from Kohler Co. The user can flush either 1.6 gallons or half that amount-0.8 gallons. The latter flush option, if used routinely, can save an average family of four up to 8,000 gallons of water each year. The toilet is even WaterSense labeled, as part of a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, meaning it flushes, on average, with 20 percent less water than the standard 1.6-gpf toilets and meets strict performance guidelines. But there’s more to saving water than dual flush. Toilets that utilize innovations such as Pressure Lite or Power Lite flushing technologies help consumers save even more water. Some of these toilets flush routinely with 1.0 gpf, making these fixtures the most efficient on the market. Waterless Options Also in its portfolio of water--conserving products is a waterless urinal, called the Steward, which can save commercial users up to 40,000 gallons of water per year over the standard 1-gallon urinal. Unlike traditional urinals that require consistent flushing to maintain a hygienic environment, or other waterless urinals that utilize a cartridge that must be periodically replaced, this features a cartridge-free integral trapway that is filled with a sealing liquid. Smarter Showers New types of low-flow showerheads can cut water use without sacrificing performance. For instance, Kohler’s new 1.75-gallon-per-minute (gpm) shower sprays save 30 percent more water than a standard 2.5 gpm showerhead. But the stylish oversized showerheads also provide luxurious water coverage. They’re available in the popular Forté and Purist designs, as both showerheads and handshowers. Additionally, homeowners can install the company’s Rite-Temp Pressure-Balancing Valve to provide anti-scald protection and temperature regulation at flow rates as low as 1.75 gpm-far below federally mandated standards of 2.5 gpm. For more information, visit www.kohler.com or call (800) 4-KOHLER. Water-saving plumbing products can do the job while using less water. |
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