WaterSense® Labeled
                                            Mew  Homes
                                   WaterSense
         Building a new home is a big investment for you
         and your family's future. But when you build
         a water-efficient home, you're investing in the
    future of your community and the planet as well. The
    WaterSense program is making it easy for buyers
    to identify new homes that save both water and
    energy. WaterSense labeled homes are independently
    certified to use 20 percent less water than typical new
    homes.

    Residential water use accounts for more than half of
    the publicly supplied water in the United States. The
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
    (EPA) established WaterSense to
    protect the future of the nation's
    water supply and to promote water-
    efficient products and services with
    a simple, easy-to-identify label.

    Homes that are built to meet EPA's specification can
    earn the WaterSense label. EPA criteria include Water-
    Sense labeled plumbing fixtures, efficient hot water
    delivery systems, smart landscape design, and other
    features. WaterSense labeled new homes are indepen-
    dently certified to meet these criteria, giving home-
    buyers confidence that the home will really save water.

    How Can Homes Save Water?
    Compared to a traditional home, a WaterSense labeled
    new home can help a family of four reduce their water
    use by as much as 50,000 gallons per year—enough
    water to wash more than 2,000 loads of laundry. In
    addition to WaterSense labeled plumbing fixtures,
    these new homes include ENERGY STAR® qualified
    dishwashers and clothes washers, if those appliances
    are installed when the  home is built.
EV Studio Planning, LLC
WaterSense labeled new homes also incorporate a hot
water distribution system that decreases the amount
of time it takes for hot water to reach the faucet or
shower—so residents don't waste time, energy, and
thousands of gallons  waiting for hot water to reach
the tap or tub.

Outdoors, builders have the option of developing an
outdoor"water budgef'and planning the landscaping
accordingly, or ensuring any area they landscape uses
a variety of water-efficient plantings and features, with
less than 40 percent covered by grass. WaterSense
labeled homes feature water-efficient landscaping and
irrigation (if an irrigation system is installed).

Move Into an Efficient Home
Builders interested in constructing water-efficient
homes can join the WaterSense program as partners
and receive tools to support their water-efficiency ef-
forts. Once they complete a home, an EPA licensed cer-
tification provider ensures the home is inspected and
certified to meet the WaterSense specification. To learn
more about the WaterSense new homes program or to
find a WaterSense builder partner near you, visit www.
epa.gov/watersense/.
March 2012
                       (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) • www.epa.gov/watersense • watersense@epa.gov
                                                                                          EPA-F-09-018

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