Builder plans to install EPA-rated water-saving fixtures in every Southwestern home it builds – Orange County Register

Los Angeles-based homebuilder KB Home has announced plans to add water-saving faucets and fixtures to every home it builds in California, Arizona and Nevada, using Environmental Protection Agency-approved “WaterSense” devices.

Almost half of the 13,472 homes the company built in 2021 were in those three states, public records show.

Plumbing fixtures marked WaterSense, such as faucets, showerheads and toilets, meet EPA specifications for water efficiency and use about 30% less water than standard fixtures, according to the federal agency.

A typical home saves 50,000 gallons of water with WaterSense faucets.

KB Home, one of several national homebuilders who have been experimenting with energy- and water-efficient homes over the past 12 years, has installed more than 900,000 WaterSense faucets in 18,000 homes they’ve built since 2010, the company said. These households save about 1.6 billion gallons of water per year, the company estimates.

The company is not alone. Industry-wide, new construction and landscaping are far more water and energy efficient than they were just a few years ago, with drought-resistant landscaping and water-friendly toilets, appliances, and showerheads.

Manufacturers such as Toll Brothers, Lennar and TriPointe also claim to use WaterSense lights on their websites.

In 2020, Lennar Homes participated in a “grey water” pilot in Denver, capturing shower and bath water for reuse to flush toilets.

But KB Home claims it’s an industry leader in energy and water conservation.

Along with Meritage Homes, an Arizona home builder, KB Homes was among the first developers to begin producing “net-zero” homes, which use solar panels on the roof, energy-efficient appliances, and insulation to reduce electricity consumption as much produce energy as they consume it.

The company’s “ZeroHouse” debuted in Southern California in 2011 in a Lake Forest community of 58 homes. Eventually, solar power became a standard option in KB developments throughout Southern California.

“We’re incorporating high-efficiency water products into our homes and were the first contractor to participate in the EPA’s WaterSense program,” Dan Bridleman, KB’s senior vice president of sustainability, told Builder Magazine in November. “We continue to push the boundaries of how we can conserve water.”

– SCNG contributor Teri Sforza contributed to this report.