Commissioners voted to change the current standard of 2.2 gallons per minute flow rate to 1.5, effective September 1.
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The move comes after energy regulators approved similarly-tough standards for urinals, toilets, and faucets in April.
“Faucets and showers make up almost 40 percent of residential indoor water use”, said Commissioner Andrew McAllister, the Energy Commission’s lead on energy efficiency.
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. issued an executive order in April of this year, which ordered the California Energy Commission to establish standards that improve the efficiency of water appliances available for sale and installation in new and existing buildings. According to Tracy Quinn, Natural Resources Defense Council policy analyst, the new standards will save as much water annually as the city of San Francisco uses each year.
By the time all shower head and faucet stocks are replaced in 2029, it’s expected the stricter regulations will save 38 billion gallons of water.
Thirty-one percent of showerhead models on the market now meet the upcoming 2.0-gallon standard, which is known as Tier 1, Driskell said.
California, struggling through the fourth year of a historic drought, will be the first to adopt the standard at a state level.
Separately, state water officials announced the launch of a $24-million turf replacement rebate program that in part targets low-income communities. The turf program will be monitored by DWR and administered by the Electric & Gas Industries Association (EGIA).
Residents can apply at www.SaveOurWaterRebates.com to receive rebates.
The rebate is $100 for one toilet per household and up to $2 per square foot for lawn replacement up to a $2,000 maximum per home. (Bare earth areas with no sign of turf are not eligible for a rebate.).
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The $6 million toilet rebate program, also funded through Proposition 1, will help Californians replace approximately 60,000 old, inefficient toilets by offering a $100 customer rebate per household to replace with a high-efficiency toilet.
