U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Building Technologies Office – Energy Open House

Shower

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Low-flow fixtures can save energy used to heat water.
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Energy Facts: Water heating accounts for 14% to 25% of a home's energy consumption. It is the second-largest energy expense in U.S. households behind space heating and cooling.

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Scout It Out: How many fixtures in your home could use a low-flow aerator or showerhead?

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Tips:

  • You can easily cut your water heating bills by using less hot water; turning down the thermostat on your water heater; and insulating your water heater or buying a new, more efficient model.
  • Tankless? Heat pump? Condensing? When buying a new water heater, look for an ENERGY STAR® qualified model. Visit energystar.gov for advice on water heater types.
  • To conserve water, install showerheads with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm).
  • The aerator, the screw-on tip of the faucet, ultimately determines the maximum flow rate of a faucet. Typically, new bathroom faucets come with aerators that restrict flow rates from 1.5 to 0.5 gpm. Over the lifetime of the aerator, this can save significant amounts of water.
  • Look for the EPA WaterSense label on faucets and faucet accessories (such as aerators) for high-performing, water-efficient fixtures. If every household in America installed a WaterSense labeled faucet or aerator, we could save more than 60 billion gallons of water a year.