PRO1
H i gh -Effi ci en cy
Flushing Urinals
Water Sense
Approximately 80 percent of the estimated 12
million urinals in the United States are old
and inefficient. While the current federal stan-
dard for commercial urinals is 1.0 gallon per flush
(gpf), some older urinals use as much as five times
that amount!
WaterSense®, a partnership program sponsored by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will soon
be able to help facility managers and specifiers take
a stand for water efficiency with urinals that use
only half a gallon per flush.
The WaterSense Label
EPA's draft water-efficient
flushing urinals specifica-
tion is the WaterSense pro-
gram's first foray into com-
mercial products.To date,
WaterSense has released
specifications for high-effi-
ciency toilets and bathroom
sink faucets.
The WaterSense label, pictured above, identifies
products that have been independently tested and
certified to meet EPA's criteria for both water effi-
ciency and performance. Once EPA receives public
comments and finalizes this draft specification,
flushing urinals will be eligible to earn the
WaterSense label.
Savings With Every Flush
Once available, WaterSense labeled urinals will help
reduce water use in commercial and institutional
restrooms while helping to preserve the nation's
water resources. WaterSense plans to set criteria for
high-efficiency flushing
urinals that use no more
than 0.5 gpf and comply
with existing standards
for flushing urinals.1
To ensure adequate per-
formance, urinals must
also be tested for trap
seal restoration and flush effectiveness before they
can earn the WaterSense label.
Replacing just one older, inefficient urinal that uses
1.5 gpf with a WaterSense labeled model could save
a facility approximately 4,600 gallons of water per
year. Nationwide, if all older, inefficient urinals were
replaced, we could save nearly 45 billion gallons
annually. That's enough water to supply more than
450,000 households for a year!
Look for the Label in 2009
Whether looking to reduce water use in a new facili-
ty or to replace old, inefficient fixtures in men's rest-
rooms, builders, designers, managers, and other
specifiers will soon be able to look for the
WaterSense label to identify high-performing,
water-efficient urinals.
1 ASME A112,19.2, IAPMO,ASSE 1037
(866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) • www.epa.gov/watersense • watersense@epa.gov	<8>EF¥^
January 2009	Recycled/Recyclable—Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Process Chlorine Free Recycled Paper.

-------