According to the

Achieving WaterSense Certification

In 2023, 99% of WaterSense-labeled homes submitted to the RESNET registry were in California, Nevada, and Arizona. This isn’t surprising for a couple of reasons: one is that these states have had historic droughts and on-going stress to their water supplies; the other is these states and individual municipalities therein have stringent water regulations. These regulations (and some incentives!) have forced homebuilders to address their outdoor water use.

Since these three states tend to be hot and dry, outdoor water use can account for up to 80% of a home’s overall water use. This means that even the most efficient indoor water efficiency practices will do little to move the needle on overall water consumption.

Why do WaterSense-labeled homes have a slower uptake in other states?
After reviewing the data and getting feedback from homebuilders and their raters, two key items stand out for why it’s harder to achieve the WaterSense label outside of these southwest markets:

  1. Landscaping and irrigation practices.
  2. Builders don’t typically install a clothes washer.

In the southwest, builders have instituted practices like the installation of drought tolerant/native plants and very efficient irrigation practices. They have also reduced their use of water-intensive turf grass.

Unfortunately, these practices have not percolated to other regions. It’s quite common for builders in all other regions to install turf grass on nearly every square foot of the lot that doesn’t have hardscaping. Often this grass is watered with above-ground spray irrigation.

When water-intensive landscaping practices are combined with the lack of installation of a clothes washer, it’s nearly impossible to achieve the WaterSense label. Although builders are not penalized for not installing the clothes washer, they are leaving water-saving potential on the table.

As the largest water-consuming appliance in the home, an efficient clothes washer can save about 5,000 gallons of water per year and help builders lower their HERSH2O score.

Strategies For Efficient Water Use

Since HERSH2O is a whole-house water efficiency rating, it’s important that builders have a comprehensive strategy for reducing water use. Here are a few key components to consider when trying to achieve a score of 70 or less to obtain the WaterSense label for homes:

The process for obtaining the WaterSense label is also important. For builders getting a HERS Rating on their homes, it’s quite simple. The HERS rater will need to be a certified HERSH2O rater (aka WaterSense home verifier), and they will complete the WaterSense inspection during the HERS final inspection. The home is also modeled in calculation software to determine whether it meets the required score to be certified to WaterSense.

Closing Thoughts

Water is a life-sustaining resource. Builders committed to reducing their homes’ impact on the environment and humanity must consider water efficiency paramount to their operations. Achieving the WaterSense label for homes will require new strategies and practices, but it demonstrates a builder’s commitment to ensuring water availability for future generations.