Nationwide, thousands of WaterSense partners work collaboratively to drive innovation in manufacturing, educate consumers, and transform the market for water efficiency. By producing and promoting WaterSense labeled products, new homes, and programs, these partners have helped save Americans 487 billion gallons of water and $8.9 billion in water and energy bills since the program’s inception in 2006. That achievement wouldn’t have happened without the ongoing efforts of dedicated partners that have supported the program from day one.
On October 3, the 2013 WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award winners, Partners of the Year, and Excellence Award winners were honored at the WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas, NV. WaterSense also recognized its inaugural Partner of the Year award in the professional certifying organization category.
“After several years of program success, we’ve gotten to the point where we can recognize key partners for their sustained commitment to water efficiency,” says WaterSense Branch Chief Veronica Blette. “We are proud to honor Kohler Co. and Lowe’s Companies, Inc. with the first-ever WaterSense Sustained Excellence Awards.”
Sustained Excellence Award Winners
To qualify for a Sustained Excellence Award, a partner must have won three WaterSense Partner of the Year awards in the past five years, and must have applied in each of the past five years. Kohler and Lowe’s were the two partners to achieve this distinction in 2013.
Kohler demonstrated the flushing power of a WaterSense labeled toilet at Home Depot’s 2012 Earth Day Celebration in New York City.
Kohler Co.
Kohler Co., a three-time WaterSense Manufacturer Partner of the Year and two-time Excellence Award winner, hit the road to drive demand for WaterSense labeled products in 2012. Kohler crossed the country to promote WaterSense labeled products at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando, FL; the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Chicago, IL; and Greenbuild in San Francisco, CA.
But professional shows weren’t the only focus for Kohler. In 2012, it supported Home Depot’s Earth Day Celebration in New York City, where it demonstrated the flushing power of a WaterSense labeled toilet to thousands of onlookers in the middle of Times Square. This reflected the company’s ongoing efforts to promote the WaterSense label in the New York consumer hotspot that began in 2008, when it was recognized for working with Proctor & Gamble to ensure Manhattan’s holiday shoppers had access to 20 luxurious portable restrooms fitted with WaterSense labeled toilets. As a result, an estimated half-million visitors in Times Square experienced firsthand the high-performing, water efficient benefits of WaterSense labeled toilets.
“WaterSense is a successful program that demonstrates what can be achieved when government, industry, and efficiency advocates work collaboratively toward a common goal, and our consumers are the beneficiaries,” says Kohler Senior Channel Manager of Sustainability Rob Zimmerman.
Kohler also kept WaterSense in the spotlight in 2012 by leveraging its online resources to promote water efficiency initiatives through the website SaveWaterAmerica.com. Not only does the site showcase its sustained efforts nationwide, it also features Kohler’s WaterSense labeled product information and a calculator that visitors can use to estimate their total savings from these products.
Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
Lowe’s Companies, Inc., a three-time WaterSense Retailer Partner of the Year and 2011 Excellence Award winner, showed no sign of slowing down in 2012. Last year, the company significantly increased the number of WaterSense labeled showerheads it carries and ensured all bathroom faucets in Lowe’s stores were WaterSense labeled.
As more consumers research and shop online, Lowe’s continues to feature water efficiency tips, benefits, and related how-to videos online and increase the number of available WaterSense products on its Web-based store. To help incentivize its customers to purchase these products, Lowe’s developed a smartphone application that employees can use to find rebates for customers interested in WaterSense labeled products. Lowes.com also leveraged bilingual product information for WaterSense labeled models to increase accessibility to these products’ water efficient, high-performing benefits.
Lowe’s commitment to collaborating with other WaterSense partners continued in 2012, including its support in helping the Wyland Foundation spearhead the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation. In addition, Lowe’s provided winner gift cards for and sponsored the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association’s Fix a Leak Week 2012 road race. To support WaterSense’s Shower Better campaign, Lowe’s teamed up with two more WaterSense partners, Moen Incorporated and Delta Faucet Company. As part of its Shower Better collaboration with Delta, Lowe’s provided a 10% discount to consumers who purchased one of Delta’s then newly released WaterSense labeled showerhead models.
Georgia schoolchildren learned about WaterSense from Athens-Clarke’s very own Lily Anne Phibian during “Froggy Friday.”
Promotional Partner of the Year
Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities Department
In Georgia, the Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities Department piloted a commercial water conservation program to educate restaurant owners and managers on the high-performing, water-saving benefits of installing WaterSense labeled products. Launched in 2012 in conjunction with the Altamaha Riverkeeper Oconee Project, the program utilized EPA’s WaterSense at Work to target the area’s highest water-using businesses. Following a water use audit at three local restaurants, the utility recommended WaterSense labeled products based on the results.
“About 25% of our water is consumed by restaurants, bars, and other businesses. Targeting the commercial sector helps us reduce our overall demand for water and helps local businesses save money on their water and sewer bills,” says Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities Department Water Conservation Coordinator Marilyn Hall.
During Fix a Leak Week 2012, the utility partnered with the University of Georgia Office of Sustainability to train Athens-area volunteers and students to perform water use audits at churches; show residents how to audit their homes; and distribute free WaterSense labeled faucet aerators, showerheads, and toilets. The week culminated with installation of WaterSense labeled fixtures in a community building, ultimately reducing the building’s water use by 50%.
Manufacturer Partners of the Year
Delta Faucet Company (Large Manufacturer)
In one of the highlights of Fix a Leak Week 2012, Delta Faucet Company conducted a coast-to-coast collaborative effort to nip drips nationwide. Teaming up with several WaterSense utility partners in 10 different cities, Delta donated its WaterSense labeled showerheads and worked with volunteers to install them and other water-saving products in 1,900 housing units. The campaign’s efforts resulted in more than 7 million gallons in estimated annual water savings.
“We know that reducing water use across the country, while educating consumers about the importance of water conservation, is a very big job that no one group or organization can accomplish alone,” says Paul Patton, Delta Faucet Company’s senior research and development and regulatory manager. “Through the Fix a Leak Week tour, we hoped to establish a precedent that would benefit communities now, and for generations to come.”
In 2012, Delta also worked with WaterSense partners The Home Depot and Lowe’s. For the second year in a row, Delta’s WaterSense labeled faucets were featured in Home Depot’s Earth Day Celebration model home in Times Square. The faucet company also teamed up with Lowe’s during its Earth Day Weekend last year, by staffing more than 150 stores with Delta employees and creating in-store displays promoting WaterSense labeled products. Delta’s lavatory faucets and showerheads are all WaterSense labeled, and the company began earning the WaterSense label for its water efficient toilets that year.
Niagara Conservation Corp. (Small Manufacturer)
Demonstrating Niagara Conservation Corp.’s dedication to providing innovative products that conserve water without sacrificing performance, 96% of its core product line of toilets, showerheads, and lavatory faucet accessories were WaterSense labeled in 2012–a nearly 10% increase compared to 2011. To promote consumer adoption of these products, the company worked at the source by not only requiring employees to adhere to WaterSense program mark guidelines, but also working to ensure all Niagara staff are familiar with the WaterSense program so they can help distributors and buyers identify products that save water and perform well.
“We believe it is critical that our employees be knowledgeable about WaterSense and the value this partnership offers us and our customers,” says Niagara Conservation Corp. President Bill Cutler. “The WaterSense label also underscores to our distribution partners that they are getting the highest-quality water conservation products available.”
In 2012, Niagara applied its internal commitment to water efficiency to its utility and plumbing partnerships with the development of Niagara Green City–a program promoting water- and energy-efficient products. As part of the program, Niagara assembled plumbing kits with WaterSense labeled products and branded the kits for local utilities and plumbing businesses to distribute throughout their communities. Niagara also created an online Fix a Leak Week 2012 scavenger hunt, “Finding Flo,” that raised awareness about wasting water by challenging players to find the WaterSense “spokesgallon”.
Retailer Partner of the Year
The Home Depot
The Home Depot was recognized by EPA for the second consecutive year for its efforts to promote WaterSense in all of its US stores, as well as online. Home Depot’s “Eco Options” website, featuring WaterSense labeled products and online water savings calculators, garnered more than 2.5 million hits in 2012. The retailer promoted WaterSense’s Fix a Leak Week and We’re for Water campaigns via broadcast radio segments, as well as through Home Depot blogs and online banner advertisements.
To help incentivize purchasers’ buying decisions, Home Depot collaborated with manufacturers and local utilities to establish rebates for WaterSense labeled products, helping customers benefit from more than $33 million in product markdowns. Home Depot’s sales of WaterSense labeled products increased by 7% in 2012–double the company’s average–thanks to the increased number of incentives.
“As environmental stewards, our Green Team members are passionate about water conservation and take pride in promoting the WaterSense label,” says Ron Jarvis, vice president of environmental innovation at Home Depot.
Store associates learned about the WaterSense labeled products the company sells in Home Depot’s Green Team Training Guide. The company also targeted professional contractors with education about WaterSense labeled products in 2012.
Builder Partner of the Year
KB Home
By continuing to break new ground in 2012 with the construction of WaterSense labeled new homes, KB Home earned its third consecutive WaterSense Builder Partner of Year award. In addition to constructing more WaterSense labeled new homes than any other builder, KB Home constructed its net-zero energy use model homes with WaterSense labeled products in Texas, Florida, and California. The company also built a new ZeroHouse 2.0 model in the Washington, D.C., area in 2012 that earned the WaterSense label.
“As we continue to expand ZeroHouse 2.0 program to more neighborhoods nationwide, homebuyers are becoming increasingly aware that the WaterSense label and other components of the water- and energy-efficient model provide huge benefits to the planet, as well as their wallets,” says Dan Bridleman, KB Home’s senior vice president of sustainability, technology, and strategic sourcing.
KB Home’s Built to Order program helps homebuyers select WaterSense labeled products and additional water efficient features at the KB Home Studios. There, employees who received training designed to educate consumers about WaterSense walk homeowners through the process. To encourage water efficiency outside the home, KB Home also worked with WaterSense manufacturer partner, Hunter Industries, to advance the development of that company’s WaterSense labeled irrigation controllers.
Waldorf, MD, is home to this ZeroHouse 2.0 model, a WaterSense labeled home built by KB Home.
Professional Certifying Organization Partner of Year
The Irrigation Association
In 2012, WaterSense added a new award category to recognize the organizations that help raise the visibility of professionals trained in water efficiency. The Irrigation Association is EPA’s first WaterSense Professional Certifying Organization Partner of the Year. Not only did the member organization promote WaterSense labeled irrigation controllers to thousands of industry stakeholders in 2012, but the Irrigation Association also helped WaterSense develop its Notice of Intent to label soil moisture-based control technologies by submitting its testing protocol for consideration.
“The weather-based irrigation controller label is very popular among manufacturers, and we are expecting to see the same enthusiasm for the soil moisture-based irrigation controller label,” says Irrigation Association Executive Director Deborah Hamlin.
Through its extensive efforts in partner recruitment and promotion of WaterSense, the Irrigation Association has worked to make its WaterSense labeled certification programs more accessible to irrigation professionals across the country. By collaborating with states nationwide to promote labeled program certifications as a prerequisite for a state irrigation contractor license, it also drove demand for certified professionals, WaterSense labeled products, and water smart landscapes across the country.
Irrigation Partner of Year
John Taylor
For John Taylor, president of Taylor Irrigation Service, Inc., in Houston, TX, being a WaterSense partner means promoting native plants, appropriate watering schedules, and efficient irrigation systems. As a certified Texas Landscape Irrigation Auditor, Taylor overhauled his company’s business model in 2012 to focus on water-smart landscaping and efficient irrigation practices.
“It was a gamble to change everything, but one that we felt was necessary,” says Taylor. “When you consider that irrigation is almost 70% of the water consumed nationwide and that studies on irrigation efficiency indicate the average homeowner is overwatering by more than 200%, we felt that simply educating the client was not enough.”
To support his new business model, Taylor made it standard operating procedure for him and his team to properly set a client’s controller as part of every visit, whether a repair, maintenance check, or system installation. Taylor’s extensive website also presents information on WaterSense labeled irrigation controllers, and his social media posts, blog, and e-magazine reach consumers online with water smart irrigation ideas.
WaterSense congratulates all of the 2013 Sustained Excellence Award winners, Partners of the Year, and Excellence Award winners. For more information about the WaterSense Partner of the Year awards, and to learn about becoming a partner, please visit www.epa.gov/watersense.
