WaterSense® Labeled Homes
Delivering on Efficiency in Orlando, Florida

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, homes, and programs with a
simple, easy-to-identify label. WaterSense
labeled homes allow families to enjoy the
comforts of home while using less water and
energy and saving money on utility bills.
To earn the WaterSense label, homes must
meet EPA's specification criteria: they must be
at least 30 percent more water-efficient than
typical new home construction, include
WaterSense labeled plumbing products, and be
free of water leaks. WaterSense labeled homes
can also include features such as: hot water
that gets to the tap faster; ENERGY STAR®
certified appliances; efficient irrigation
equipment; and water-smart landscapes that
minimize or eliminate the need for irrigation.
Benefits of WaterSense Certification
For Communities/Water Agencies:
•	Preserves the ability to add new housing and
grow communities while limiting impacts on
water and infrastructure resources.
•	Achieves greater water efficiency using a
whole-house, building-science approach and
system solutions that may not be possible
solely with efficient products.
•	Encourages builders to design homes with
water-efficient features in mind, maximizing
water savings at minimal incremental cost.
For Builders:
Why Water Efficiency Matters to
Communities and Builders
Mitigates the rising cost of water and utility
connection fees.
Leverages support from existing
communities and investors.
Offers advantages in the permitting and land
entitlement processes.
Supports corporate disclosures and
reporting.
Like most of Florida, the Orlando area gets most
of its water from the Floridan Aquifer, which is
replenished by rainfall. However, the current
demand for water, a rapidly growing population,
and the impact of climate change (e.g., higher
temperatures, sea level rise, more frequent
periods of drought, and an increasing risk of
saltwater intrusion) are making it more difficult
for the aquifer to stay sufficiently replenished.
The Orlando metropolitan area's population has
grown by nearly 70 percent since 2000, adding more than 1.1 million new residents. As illustrated by
the figure on the next page, Florida's population is growing faster than most areas of the United
States. With its rapid growth, along with prevailing drought and increasing impacts from climate
change, it is crucial for Orlando to plan communities wisely so as not to overstress water supplies.
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Why Choose WaterSense Labeled
Homes
WaterSense labeled homes can help preserve the ability to add housing in communities that are
water- or infrastructure-constrained by minimizing the impact of new construction on water
resources. They can also mitigate the impact
of rising costs of water and connection fees.
Percent Change in County
Population: 2010 to 2020
Percent change
H 200 ormore
¦	10.0 to 19.9
¦	5.0 to 9.9
0-0 to 4.9
¦	Less than 0.0
The WaterSense label for homes provides a
whole-house approach to water efficiency.
The programs that certify homes through
WaterSense address specific climate and
market conditions by encouraging system and
design improvements in addition to efficient
products and appliances. This approach
helps maximize savings and reduce costs for
the builder, the homeowner, and the	Source: U.S Census Bureau
communi ty	(www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2Q21/dec/percent
-change-county-population.html)
WaterSense labeled homes can achieve
significantly more savings than homes with WaterSense labeled plumbing products alone. Plus,
WaterSense labeled homes carry the additional benefit of being independently certified to ensure
they are free of leaks and that products and systems are properly installed to maximize savings.
Maximizing Water Savings With WaterSense Laheled Homes
The table on the next page illustrates the features that may be included under four scenarios in
Orlando. This example uses a typical 2,400-square-foot home with an average-sized household (2.61
occupants) on a 10,000-square-foot lot that includes 5,826 square feet of conventional, irrigated turf
(unless otherwise specified). Assumptions for a typical home are based on national averages.
The baseline home includes products meeting federal efficiency standards and other features
typical of new construction. The home following the Mandatory Checklist for WaterSense
Labeled Homes includes WaterSense labeled toilets, faucets, and showerheads, but no additional
water-efficient features. The home meeting Miami-Dade County standards (considered the most
stringent in Florida) is required to meet more rigorous product efficiency criteria for certain plumbing
products and install a rain sensor. Finally, the example WaterSense labeled home incorporates a
variety of water-efficient indoor and outdoor features that meet the water efficiency requirement for
WaterSense labeled homes and result in substantially more water savings.
This is just one example of a home that has earned the WaterSense label—other design
configurations could also meet the requirement. The example shows that for a hot and wet climate
such as Orlando's, improvements limited to indoor water efficiency will not be sufficient to achieve
the 30 percent threshold. The home will generally need to focus on maximizing outdoor water savings
(e.g., reducing turf and using non-irrigated or natural areas to reduce irrigable landscape area) to
ensure it is at least 30 percent more water-efficient than typical new construction.
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Feature
Baseline Home
Home Meeting
WaterSense
Mandatory
Checklist
Home Meeting
Miami-Dade County
Appliance
Efficiency
Standards
Example WaterSense
Labeled Home in Orlando*
Toilets
1.6 gpf
1.28 gpf
1.28 gpf
1.1 gpf
Showerheads
2.5 gpm
2.0 gpm
1.5 gpm
1.5 gpm
Lavatory Faucets
2.2 gpm
1.5 gpm
1.5 gpm
1.2 gpm
Kitchen Faucets
2.2 gpm
2.2 gpm
1.5 gpm
1.5 gpm
Dishwashers
5.0 gpc
5.0 gpc
5.0 gpc
3.5 gpc
(ENERGY STAR)
Clothes Washers
6.5 IWF
6.5 IWF
6.5 IWF
4.3 IWF
(ENERGY STAR)
Hot Water
Delivery
Standard
Standard
Standard
More efficient hot water
delivery
Landscape and
Irrigation
Turf irrigated
with standard
fixed spray
sprinklers and
timer-based
controller
Turf irrigated with
standard fixed
spray sprinklers
and timer-based
controller
Turf irrigated with
standard fixed spray
sprinklers, timer-
based controller,
and rain sensor
10% less irrigable
landscape; 40% of remaining
landscape is non-turf design
with pressure-compensating
drip irrigation; turf irrigated
with WaterSense labeled
spray sprinkler bodies;
WaterSense labeled
irrigation controller; rain
sensor
Total Estimated
Annual Water
Use
149,000 gallons
138,000 gallons
128,000 gallons
<104,000 gallons
Total Estimated
Annual Water
and Percent
Savings From
Baseline
0 gallons
0% savings
11,000 gallons
6 to 8% savings
21,000 gallons
12 to 16% savings
>45,000 gallons
>30% savings
Feature meets federal
standard or common
construction practices
Feature meets
WaterSense or
ENERGY STAR criteria
Feature achieves greater efficiency
level than WaterSense product
specification criteria
gpf = gallons per flush; gpm = gallons per minute; gpc = gallons per cycle; IWF = integrated water factor
* For example purposes only. Home could qualify with a different combination of features, and a different home
with these features is not guaranteed to achieve WaterSense certification.
Learn More
Interested in learning more about WaterSense and how it can benefit your community? Visit
www.epa.gov/watersense.
A m* EPA-832-F-23-002I
PHONE (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) WEBSITEwww.epa.gov/watersense EMAILwatersense@epa.gov	July 2023
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