While the population of our country nearly doubled between 1950 and 2000, our demand for water nearly tripled, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA says we now use an average of 100 gallons of water per person, per day, every day. This increasing demand has increased stress on our water supply and distribution systems.

On the energy side, our water supply and treatment systems use 56 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year – enough to power 5 million homes. Or, look at it this way, says the EPA: letting one of your faucets run for five minutes uses about as much electrical energy as a 60-watt light bulb in 14 hours.

To address this challenge, the EPA has launched a partnership with manufacturers, distributors and retailers to provide consumers with new water-efficient products that will carry distinctive WaterSense labels to identify those that meet water efficiency and performance criteria.

WaterSense-labeled products will perform well, help save money and encourage innovation in product design and manufacturing. For example, a WaterSense-labeled high-efficiency toilet, faucets and faucet accessories in a bathroom can save more than 11,000 gallons of water per year, paying for themselves in a few years – while saving the water as well as the energy needed to deliver and dispose of it.

All told, the average household spends $500 per year on water and sewer charges; this could be cut by as much as $170 per year. And the country would save more than 3 trillion gallons of water and $18 billion per year if we all used water more efficiently.

So to save water and money, check with your licensed professional plumber for WaterSense products as they become available whenever you’re thinking about new plumbing fixtures and accessories.