NEW YORK, June 18, 2015 – Water, it’s the source of life for every person, plant and animal on earth. But although 70 percent of our planet is covered with water, 97.5 percent of it is salt and 1.5 percent is frozen in glaciers, leaving only about one percent for human consumption. That one percent is rapidly shrinking as populations expand and industrialization, pollutants, crumbling infrastructures and climate change threaten a dwindling and increasingly compromised water supply. The need for water conservation and focus on sustainable and eco-conscious industry practices has never been stronger.

GROHE, the world’s leading single-brand manufacturer and supplier of kitchen and bath fittings, has developed a CEU, The Edge of Water – Trends & Best Practices in Building Water Use, for members of AIA, ASID, IIDA and USGBC that also qualifies for Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW)-related training. Being presented at the GROHE Live! Center in Manhattan and at other showrooms and venues across the U.S., The Edge of Water makes a strong case for conservation, while outlining the seriousness and complexity of the problem and importance of water conservation efforts in buildings. With this educational initiative, the German company, known for its innovative and advanced technology and industry-leading sustainability, offers architects and designers viable green practices and solutions for their projects. A summary of the key points presented follows as well the GROHE technological advancements that can help meet the demands for water conservation.

The High Cost of Water

Rising costs, global warming and severe drought conditions pose a serious global threat to which few nations are immune. In the U.S., the critical drought in California is impacting water supplies and agriculture and food prices, nationwide. In just one year, greatly reduced mountain snowfalls sharply cut the state’s water levels, demonstrating the unreliability of key water sources. GROHE notes that the costs of treating, distributing, heating and pumping water are already the highest of any utility and those costs are quickly rising with no end in sight. In the next 25 years, the United States must pay an estimated $1 trillion to replace water pipes and processing facilities.

Commercial and residential buildings in the U.S. use 13.6 percent of all potable water, or 15 trillion gallons per year. Water-efficiency efforts could:

• Decrease energy use by 10-11 percent
• Save 11-12 percent of operating costs
• Reduce water use by 15 percent

These reductions greatly impact carbon footprints. GROHE advises that by retrofitting one out of 100 American homes with water-efficient fixtures, the U.S. could prevent approximately 80,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of removing 15,000 cars from the road for one year.

More Stringent Requirements

As challenges to the water supply increase, so do efforts by both the public and private sector to conserve it, via legislation and conservation programs.

For example, expectations to participate in Green Building practices, like LEED, are high and requirements for LEED status have become increasingly stringent across the board.

LEED v4 requires that all newly installed fixtures carry the WaterSense label that identifies a water-efficient product that has been independently tested and certified to meet EPA WaterSense criteria for efficiency and performance. All products displaying the WaterSense label are recognized by the EPA’s partnership program, WaterSense, and offer significant savings while meeting strict performance standards, including the CALGreen building codes standard.

How to Conserve

Water use in commercial buildings and opportunities for conservation depend widely on the type of building, however domestic/restroom fixtures account for a good portion of a building’s overall water consumption. Here are some tips on how to conserve:

• There are many situations (e.g. a hotel) in which decreasing the water flow for shower heads is undesirable. However with new technologies, a 1.75 gpm to 1.5 gpm shower head or even lower can be installed without affecting the user experience/enjoyment. The shape/design of the shower head (such as an oval shape) can use less water while keeping the “full spray” feel.
• Other features, such as adjustable flow “eco” buttons that let the use decide when to go super low flow and when to use the high flow can help reduce water use without sacrificing user experience.
• Shower thermostatic valves and digital shower settings can help to avoid that two to five minutes or so every morning that a shower is left on to let the water heat up.

For more information about GROHE’s CEU programs, contact Irvin Johnson.

About GROHE

GROHE faucet and shower products are distributed in more than 180 countries and represent nearly 80 years of excellence in European design, innovation, engineering and quality.

GROHE America’s headquarters are in the heart of the Flatiron district and houses the GROHE Live! Center, an interactive showroom created for inspiration and collaboration.

The GROHE Group is the world’s leading provider of sanitary fittings, comprising Grohe AG, Hemer, Hamburg and other subsidiaries in foreign markets. With its global GROHE brand, the GROHE Group relies on its brand values quality, technology, design and responsibility to deliver “Pure Freude an Wasser”.

The GROHE Group was purchased by the LIXIL Group and the Development Bank of Japan in January 2014. The LIXIL Group is the global leader in the building materials and housing equipment industry.

For more information and to find local showrooms, please visit www.grohe.com/us or call 1-800-44-GROHE (47643).