Bathroom Revamp: Savings by the Gallon

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"What used to be exclusive of really super-high-end homes is now becoming more commonplace," says Al Dietemann, water conservation lead for Seattle Public Utilities. Sixty-two percent of residential architects reported an increase in demand for these systems, according to a recent survey by the American Institute of Architects. "A lot of us are watching the trend and becoming more and more disgruntled about it," Dietemann adds.

Another issue with showerheads is that they achieve a 2.5-gpm rate with small water-restrictor discs. Annoyance leads many a homeowner to remove them, resulting in a flow of nearly 5 gpm, says Alex Wilson, editor of Environmental Building News. "Some manufacturers that sell these showerheads go so far as to describe in the product brochure how to remove it," he adds.

To measure the water consumption of your showerhead, pour 2.5 gallons into a bucket and mark the water level. Then, take a stopwatch and fill the bucket for a minute in your shower. If your showerhead sprays more than 2.5 gpm, get a new one. Delta's new H20Kinetics showerhead uses a frugal 1.6 gpm and is designed so that the water droplets are larger, holding on to heat and offering the feel of a 2.5-gpm shower ($55; www.deltafaucet.com, 800-345-3358 for retailers). Or save a little more money with a cheaper alternative; see the checklist below for more.

Finally, if major purchases are in your budget, consider a tankless, on-demand water heater. Households waste 6.35 gallons of water per day waiting for it to heat up, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and 3.48 gallons of that is for showers alone. Tankless systems heat water when you need it, cutting wait times down to about 30 seconds (see Resources).

Faucets

Last but not least, your bathroom sink faucet, also subject to government standards, must use 2.2 gpm or less. Taps aren't prone to modifications of the bad sort, but you can increase their efficiency with a 1.5-gpm aerator, available at any local hardware store.

Retaining Water

If you've cut your water consumption down to near zero and are still looking for newfangled ways to save, here are a few aquatic marvels:

SinkPositive Tank Lid Sink ($99; www.sinkpositive.com): Designed for hand washing only, you replace your toilet tank's lid with this mini-sink, which is connected to the toilet's intake hose. Every time you flush, water comes out of the faucet and then drains into the tank. Let us know if you can overcome the awkwardness of turning on a faucet by flushing a toilet....

WaterSaver Technologies Aqus system ($295 plus shipping; www.watersavertech.com): The system's under-counter 5.5-gallon tank stores all the water used in your bathroom sink, whether from hand washing, brushing your teeth or shaving, and then feeds it into your toilet's tank. Because toilets use more water than faucets, it's doubtful that the Aqus would supply 100 percent of your toilet's water, but it could cut consumption by about 40 percent (Aqus reverts back to freshwater supplies if the storage tank is empty).

Faucet Foot Valve FFV-2000 ($119.95; www.faucetfootvalve.com, 928-254-1083): Foot-valve-operated faucets can make it easier to stick to the "turn off the water while brushing your teeth" rule. While these systems haven't been widely reviewed or tested, the manufacturer claims that it can save you up to 50 percent of faucet water.