Indoor Water  Use   in
                                                          the  United  States
           Americans use large quantities of water inside
           their homes. A family of four can use 400 gal-
           lons of water every day, and, on average,
     approximately 70 percent of that water is used
     indoors.

     The bathroom is the largest consumer of indoor water.
     The toilet alone can use 27 percent of household
     water. Almost every activity or daily routine that hap-
     pens in the home bathroom uses a large quantity of
     water. For example:

     •   Older toilets use between 3.5 and 7 gallons of
         water per flush. However, WaterSense8 labeled
         toilets require 75 to 80 percent less water.
     •   A leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of
         water every day.
     •   A bathroom faucet generally runs at 2 gallons of
         water per minute. By  turning off the tap while
         brushing your teeth or shaving, a person can save
         more than 200 gallons of water per month.

     Outside the bathroom, there are many opportunities
     to save water. Here are some common water efficiency
     measures, along with a few solutions to those prob-
     lems you may not have known existed:

     •   High-efficiency washing machines can conserve
         large amounts of water. Traditional models use
         between 27 and 54 gallons of water per load, but
         new, energy- and water-conserving models (front-
         loading or top-loading, non-agitator ones)  use less
         than 27 gallons per load.
                                    How Much Water Do We Use?
                                            Shower
                                             16.8%
                                       Faucet
                                       15.7%
      Toilet
      26.7%
                                                                   Leaks
                                                                   13.7%
                                          Clothes washer
                                             21.7%
Other
5.3%
                                 Source: American Water Works Association Research Foundation, "Residential End Uses
                                 ofWater,"1999
                                 •  Washing the dishes with an open tap can use up
                                    to 20 gallons of water, but filling the sink or a bowl
                                    and closing the tap saves 10 of those gallons.
                                 •  Keeping a pitcher of water in the refrigerator saves
                                    time and water instead of running the tap until it
                                    gets cold.
                                 •  Not rinsing dishes prior to loading the dishwasher
                                    could save up to 10 gallons per load.

                                 WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by the
                                 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, seeks to help
                                 families and businesses realize that they can reduce
                                 water use by 20 to 30 percent by doing just a few sim-
                                 ple things, such as upgrading to higher  quality, more
                                 efficient products. For more information, visit
                                 .
July 2007
(866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) •  www.epa.gov/watersense • watersense@epa.gov
Recycled/Recyclable—Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Process Chlorine Free Recycled Paper.
                                                                                                 &EFA
                                                                                            EPA-832-F-06-004

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