EPA: Objectives and Development of the Water Sense Budget Tool.

The United States EPA’s WaterSense program was initiated in 2006 to provide consumers with an easier and standardized way to identify the most water-efficient products.  When the program expanded to include the evaluation and labeling of homes in late 2009, landscape and irrigation design, one of the primary drivers of a home’s total water use, needed to be considered.  In this session, attendees will gain insight into the development history and objectives of the primary tool used by WaterSense for addressing outdoor water use, the WaterSense Water Budget Tool.  As the first national label for water efficiency, the WaterSense program has become a driver for water efficient practices in the green building industry.  Participants will not only learn the details of how the tool works, but will obtain additional perspective by learning how the tool was developed.  The session will also discuss how the tool has been used in the field and relay some of the initial experiences of the program during its introduction to the building industry.  The WaterSense Water Budget Tool is an example of an effort to balance the science of agronomy, the concerns of an unfamiliar building industry, the habits of home owners, and the principles of conservation.