The national model installation code, published by the International Code Council (ICC) and approved by states and cities, is scheduled to be updated this year. This process may not be on the radar of most energy efficiency and sustainability advocates in the community. But it could make a difference in how much energy new houses use.
Showers use almost 40% of the hot water in households. New changes to the model installation code would require more efficient shower heads that save water and energy while maintaining convenience and cleaning power.
Photo by Geoffrey Fairchild
Energy vs. plumbing codes
In 2019 and 2020, great strides were made in improving the ICC 2021 version of the International Energy Conservation Code, when state and local officials overcame builders’ objections and voted to approve a list of climate-friendly improvements to the model code that local authorities would like choose adoption and enforcement for new builds and major renovations. While the building calls have undermined some of those advances, the improvements that remain will greatly improve the efficiency of new homes built according to the Code, as my colleague Lauren Urbanek noted here.
The upcoming revisions to the ICC Sanitary Code offer a little unfinished business for advocates of sustainability, as any change in showerhead efficiency has been left untouched in recent improvements to the Energy Code. After a vote by the ICC members on the inclusion of efficiency requirements for shower heads in the IECC 2018, the Board of Directors granted the organization the action of membership and decided that all standards relating to shower heads must be regulated exclusively in the Sanitary Code. So here we are.
NRDC and partners including the City of Scottsdale, AZ, the Salt River Project (an integrated water and energy utility for Phoenix), and noted green building analyst Dave Collins, have proposed changing the plumbing code to make the shower head more efficient Improve 20 percent. The code currently allows a maximum flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm), while our joint proposal would set that upper limit at 2 gpm. The proposal consists of two parts, one revising the sanitary chapter of the International Housing Code, which covers single and two-family houses, and the other amending the International Sanitary Code, which most states use for commercial buildings. The result is that there will be two separate votes on whether to set higher standards for shower heads during this code revision cycle.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense voluntary program adopted the 2 gpm specification and performance criteria back in 2010 to ensure an appropriate spray pattern, spray force, and flow in locations with low water pressure. Today, more than 10,000 models from over 200 brands meet all WaterSense specifications, demonstrating the widespread availability and economic viability of efficient shower heads. In many models, the built-in pressure compensation ensures that shower heads emit a strong water jet even in buildings with low water pressure. Nothing prevents people from enjoying their showers while using the most water efficient products.
How Much Can Efficient Shower Heads Save?
Efficient shower heads save energy, as showers make up around 40% of hot water consumption in private households. Even considering several states that already require efficient shower heads, the potential further savings at a 2 g / min requirement are significant.
If all newly installed shower heads nationwide were to meet the WaterSense specification from 2025 (the earliest practical application of the 2024 sanitary code, which is currently under development), the US would save huge amounts of water and energy while avoiding at least 38 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the supporting analysis , which is behind a November 2020 report by the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, through 2050. These cumulative greenhouse gas reductions would be the average emissions from 10 coal-fired power plants per year. Efficient shower heads would save nearly 80 billion gallons of water annually by 2035, resulting in cumulative savings of 1.7 trillion gallons by 2050. Annual energy savings in 2035 will reach 4.1 terawatt hours or $ 1.9 billion. By 2050, consumers will have saved a whopping $ 41.4 billion in utility bills. While not all shower head sales are covered by the Code requirements, these savings estimates provide an insight into the magnitude of the new build and renovation savings that are covered by the Code.
Of course, even if we’re looking for a more efficient plumbing code, the goofy shower head rule issued by the Trump administration last December still has to be addressed. As described here, Trump’s Department of Energy (DOE) has literally changed the definition of “shower head” so that multi-nozzle heads can use virtually unlimited water. Fortunately, the new administration quickly took note of this and, along with others, targeted the shower head rule (item 4 in this February 19 DOE memo). The Trump Rule is unlikely to survive, and it should be thrown to the trash heap long before the 2024 Sanitary Code is released.
The proposed update to the ICC sanitary codes is directly related to a core purpose of the code: establishing minimum requirements to improve safety, health and general wellbeing through affordability and energy conservation. Nothing is more fundamental to health, safety and general well-being than maintaining adequate water supplies and reducing air pollution from global warming. It’s time to complete this long overdue upgrade.
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