look for
High-Efficiency
Pre-Rinse Spray Valves
Pre-rinse spray valves-often used in commercial and institutional kitchens-are
designed to remove food waste from dishes prior to dishwashing. By switching to a
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-compliant pre-rinse spray valve, a commercial
and institutional kitchen can save more than $110 annually in energy and water
costs.
A out one million food service establishments in the
United States use nearly 53 biliion gallons of water
each year to rinse dishes with pre-rinse spray valves
(PRSVs). In fact, PRSVs can account for nearly one-
third of the water used in a typical commercial kitchen.
From 2013 to 2018, WaterSense labeled PRSVs that
met its criteria for water efficiency and spray force.
Starting in 2019, DOE adopted the WaterSense
efficiency criteria for the national energy standard. In
addition, DOE used the WaterSense-developed spray
force test to establish three PRSV categories. All
PRSVs sold in the United States are required to meet
the DOE standard. With the revised DOE standard in
place, WaterSense sunset its specification on January
1, 2019.
DOE AAAKES HIGH-EFFICIENCY THE STANDARD
DOE's federal energy conservation standard now
requires every PRSV sold in the United States to flow
at 1.28 gallons per minute (gpm) or less, depending on
the product's spray force-based product category. The
following chart explains the new categories of PRSVs
and their maximum flow rates.
Product Class by Spray Force
Maximum Flow Rate (gpm)
Product Class 1 (< 5.0 ozf)
100
Product Class 2 (> 5 0 ozf and < 8.0 ozf)
1.20
Product Class 3 (> 8.0 ozf)
1.28
Source: DOE, 2016
Replacing an old PRSV (flowing at 1.6 gpm or more)
with a DOE-compliant model can save a typical
commercial kitchen more than 7,000 gallons of water
per year, equivalent to the amount of water needed to
wash nearly 4,800 racks of dishes. Because kitchens
use hot water to rinse dishes, installing a high-
efficiency PRSV can reduce a commercial kitchen's
annual natural gas use by more than 5,700 cubic feet
per year. That's enough energy to run its convection
oven 12 hours per day for three weeks,
A commercial kitchen that replaces one old PRSV
with a DOE-compliant model could save as much as
$110 to $200 on utility bills per year, by reducing
water costs by $65 per year and energy costs by more
than $40 per year (natural gas) or more than $130 per
year (electricity). The facility could see payback on the
investment in a high-efficiency PRSV in as little as five
to eight months.
In 2019, high-efficiency and high-performing DOE-
compliant PRSVs will be available across the country.
Visit the WaterSense and DOE websites for more
information.
PHONE (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) WEBSITE www.epa.gov/watersense EMAIL watersense@epa.gov
A rnA EPA-832-F-19-001
Otnr\ April 2019

-------