Updating the bridal registry: Eco luxury for the bath

(MS) -- Traditionally, the bridal registry is the place where the "art of living" meets the "art of giving." It is the place where couples select items they would like to enhance their new lifestyle (the art of living) while providing friends and family with the assurance that these gifts will be welcomed and appreciated (the art of giving).

Today's couples are updating this time-honored tradition by using their registry entries to expand both the arts of living and giving by incorporating their ethical values into the gifts they request. Protecting the environment is a value shared by many couples, and they are reflecting this ethical choice by listing eco luxury plumbing products as gifts they are eager to receive.

"Young couples today are walking their talk by suggesting to friends and family that they give sustainable plumbing products as wedding gifts," says Lenora Campos, spokesperson for TOTO USA, an eco-luxury plumbing manufacturer. "In turn, to be welcomed into their well designed new homes, high-efficiency plumbing products must make both water sense and fashion sense."

The Aesthetics of Conspicuous Conservation

Brides and grooms today eschew the "conspicuous consumption" of past generations in favor of "conspicuous conservation" by factoring water efficiency in the design of their home's bath spaces in an effort to reduce its overall impact on the water environment. "Environmentally conscientious brides and grooms are challenging themselves to come up with ways to make their homes more sustainable without sacrificing the aesthetics of their interior's design," says Campos. Fortunately, manufacturers such as TOTO offer products whose aesthetic attributes are as good as their performance and functional benefits. Suites of design-coordinated products are available that include WaterSense labeled high efficiency toilets (HETs) and high-efficiency faucets (HEF) --and soon showers (HES).

WaterSense Labeling Program

Briefly, WaterSense, a water efficiency program launched by the Environmental Protection Agency, is designed to educate Americans to make smart water choices that save money and maintain high environmental standards without compromising performance. WaterSense aims to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable water use, ensure the performance of water-efficient products, and provide good consumer information to create a water efficiency ethic in the US.

The WaterSense label -- like the Energy Star label before it -- is easily identified on products that perform more efficiently than their counterparts. Unlike the Energy Star label, however, the WaterSense label requires independent, third-party testing to verify that the products met its labeling criteria.

Low Water Mark

To qualify for the WaterSense label, manufacturers must obtain third-party verification that their high-efficiency toilet models consume no more than 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf; a 20% reduction from the 1.6 gpf mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 1992); effectively remove 350 grams of solid waste; and resist after-installation tampering (to increase water consumption).

Given inconsistencies in available information, some young couples have come to equate "dual flush" with high efficiency. "This limited understanding that has led them to ignore other flushing systems that, from a practical point of view, give equivalent or better water savings without demanding behavioral changes such as choosing between full flush (1.6 gpf) and light flush (.9 gpf)," offers Campos.

High efficiency single-flush toilets offer a larger water spot, which reduces streaking, and they generally save an equal or larger amount of water than dual-flush units -- especially because many dual-flush users mistakenly use the full flush mode (1.6 gpf) to remove liquid waste, thereby actually using more water. A high efficiency, single-flush model could potentially offer more certain benefits.

Going With the Flow

Faucets are focal points of the bath. Eye-catching lavatory faucets drive the sensory experience of the room. Not only are they artful in their own right, but they also provide visual pleasure by shaping the water's physical presentation as well as its warm, soothing somatic benefits.

According to the EPA, faucets account for more than 15 percent of indoor household water use -- more than 1 trillion gallons of water across the United States each year. Even though the Energy Policy Act of 1992 requires that new faucets not exceed 2.2 gallons per minute (gpm), older faucets can flow at rates as high as 3 to 7 gpm.

High-efficiency faucets (HEFs) and accessories such as faucet aerators can reduce this standard flow by more than 30 percent without sacrificing performance. If the country's 222 million existing bathroom lavatory faucets were retrofit with high-efficiency models, the US could save billions of gallons each year.

WaterSense labeled HEFs use no more than 1.5 gpm and have completed a third-party certification process that includes independent laboratory testing to ensure that they meet criteria for both performance and efficiency, even in homes with lower water pressures.

On the Water Front

The EPA's WaterSense program is currently developing a specification for high-efficiency showerheads, which establishes a single maximum flow rate somewhere between 1.5 gpm and 2.0 gpm (measured at 80 pounds per square inch of pressure), which would represent between a 20 to 40 percent reduction from the current federally allowable maximum of 2.5 gpm established by the Energy Policy Act of 1992. WaterSense determined this potential range after an examination of products currently available in the marketplace.

"The challenge is to establish a specification that will provide young couples with the showering experience they expect while using less water," says Campos. "TOTO provides a luxurious, water-efficient showering experience at 1.75 gpm.

Safety Valve

Switching to a high-efficiency showerhead seems like an easy way for young couples to go green and save money on water bills, but they need to be well acquainted with the behind-the-wall plumbing, specifically the mixing valve. These valves, which usually include a regulator that minimizes changes in temperature, are designed to work at a minimum flow rate. If the showerhead is operating at an extremely low water volume, the valve may not be able to handle effectively changes in hot or cold water pressure, which leads to bursts of scalding or freezing water that bathers detest. "Our new SMA shower sets make it possible to relax and unwind in hot shower without the fear of sudden changes in water temperature," says Campos. "The Shape Memory Alloy technology provides an satisfying shower and further enhances the experience by suppressing water hammer at its end -- that unpleasant banging sound that results when water rushing through pipes is brought to a quick halt creating akind of shock wave and hammering noise."

For more information on TOTO products, call (800) 350-8686 or visit www.TOTOUSA.com.

Courtesy of Metro Creative Connection